The Road to Chunin
by jak981125
Summary: After the departure of Sasuke and Naruto, watch as their friends struggle to pass the Chunin Exams. Slightly non-canon.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold December morning. December 1st, in fact. Yugao Uzuki shivered as she approached the Konoha graveyard. Sure enough, the usual white rose was sitting on Hayate's grave. Someone had been putting one there the first day of every month since Hayate died. All she knew was that Kakashi had sworn it wasn't him.

"I suppose being an ANBU, I could have this place observed next month," she muttered to herself. "Still… Naw, let whoever it is have their privacy."

It was at that moment that she realized what the first day of the next month signified. The start of the very event that had been going on when Hayate was killed. The start of the semi-annual Chunin Exams.

THE ROAD TO CHUNIN

By jak981125

"Get down, you silly twit!" hollered Sakura as she shoved Ino into the dirt. "Honestly, you worry about the dumbest things at the worst possible times."

"Can it, Billboard Brow," retorted Ino. "You know how much this outfit cost? And now it's ruined! Thanks a lot!"

"Well crawling through the dirt would have done that anyway. And who wears an expensive outfit to a training exercise anyway?"

It was a couple of weeks after the graveyard incident and the two of them were crawling on their bellies through a field under barbed wire while shuriken periodically whizzed over them. Ino had caught her skirt on the wire and had raised herself up a little to try and get it loose.

"Great. It ripped. Now my butt is exposed. I hope you're happy, Sakura. I really do."

"I cannot believe you're even thinking about this right now," groaned Sakura. "And besides, nothing's exposed except those leggings of yours. Now hurry up, we have a minute left."

The two of them continued to inch their way forward a few more feet until they reached their goal. Lying in front of them, wrapped in bandages in order to simulate an injured comrade, was Izumo.

"Um, like help, I'm kinda dying here," he said with intentional melodrama. "I forget what the script says is supposed be wrong with me but I'm sure it's bad. Uh-oh, Ino, you have a wardrobe malfunction in progress."

Ino glared angrily at Sakura. Sakura did her best to stay focused. "You're supposed to have all four limbs broken and thus can't move yourself and severe internal injuries on top of that."

"Wow," replied Izumo. "And what was I doing that earned me all that? The only activity besides a really dangerous mission that would get you THAT banged up is peeping at the hot springs. Um… not that I would know."

"It doesn't go into that much detail," replied Ino. She and Sakura went through the motions of healing him with medical ninjutsu, giving him a plasma pill, and at the same time staying low and watching for enemies. They didn't have to wait long. Within fifteen seconds, Shizune and Iwashi Tatami, both disguised as enemy ANBU, leaped out from nowhere.

"Ino!" hollered Sakura.

"I'm on it," replied Ino. She tossed a smoke bomb. The two picked up Izuma and leaped through an opening in the barbed wire using the smoke screen to cover them. The downside was a limit to their own visibility. They needed to dodge shuriken and avoid tripping over barbed wire, all while carrying a 130 pound man in poor visibility.

Just as they had managed to lose Shizune and Iwashi, Kotetsu appeared directly in front of them. Without exchanging so much as a glance, Ino let go of Izuma, and Sakura, bearing his full weight, charged off in another direction. It was smarter to hand Izuma off to the much stronger Sakura. Ino pulled out a pair of kunai and squared off against Kotetsu. Sakura conjured up a group of regular clones and had them disperse as a pre-emptive move if there were any further pursuers. This was a wise move as there were indeed several more potential pursuers lying in wait for any signal from Tsunade.

A loud whistle blast signaled the end of the exercise. Tsunade emerged from the woods nearby accompanied by several Chunin and Tokubetsu Jonin all dressed up in fake ANBU attire. She looked pleased.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Oh, and Ino, for heaven's sake, lose the vanity. Sakura, I certainly hope Izuma's limbs were healed BEFORE you two picked him up by his arms and legs. But overall you two pass with flying colors."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," replied Sakura. "Oh, and by the way, we splinted the limbs and in real life would have numbed them so he wouldn't feel it if we had to get out in a hurry."

Tsunade glanced over at Izuma who was being freed from his splints by Kotetsu. "So you did. Interesting approach to the situation. Lets you deal with the critical injuries first. OK, you're both dismissed. Go ahead and put something warm on."

Sakura and Ino didn't have to be told twice. It was freezing outside but neither wanted to risk wearing bulky winter attire for the training.

"Not to sound like Naruto," said Ino, "But I could REALLY go for some nice hot ramen right about now."

"I could go for a nice hot ANYTHING," replied Sakura. "I'd suggest the hot springs but I don't trust Izuma's proclamation of innocence."

The two of them giggled and ran off in the direction of Ichiraku's. Tsunade watched them go and grinned. She turned to Shikamaru, who had been among the Chunin ambush team.

"That ANBU outfit suits you well, Shikamaru. Ever think about joining up?"

"Hell, no," replied Shikamaru. "That cloak and dagger stuff is a pain in the ass. I'm perfectly comfortable where I am."

"Well don't get too comfortable. Life is something unpredictable that's constantly changing. Especially if you're a shinobi. Now you take those two for example. Their ability to adapt at the drop of a hat is perfect. Tell me… do you think they'll make it this time?"

Shikamaru sighed. "We're talking about the upcoming exams, aren't we? Well… no. Sorry but I don't think either of them brings anything impressive enough to the table to sway the feudal lords. I think Neji and Shino will be promoted this time for sure but the others are anyone's guess. Of course I could be wrong. I didn't see anything particularly impressive about myself either and look where that lead."

"I'll tell you where else it's lead," said Tsunade with a smirk. "It's lead to you being a proctor this time around."

"What? What are you talking about? They're holding it in the Hidden Rain Village this year, aren't they?"

Tsunade sighed. "This is still classified. But no. We can no longer consider our alliance with that land valid. Some disturbing intelligence reports have been coming in. I can't give you all the details but the area feudal lords agreed at my suggestion that the faction that defeated Hanzo in the Rain Village Civil War cannot be trusted. Something's not right about them. They'll have to hold their own exams until we feel comfortable with their new leadership."

"Good," replied Shikamaru. "Their Genin sure loved to play dirty in that last exam. I won't miss having them this time around. Still, can't some other village take a turn?"

"Nope. Excluding the Rain was our idea and therefore we owe it to the other villages not to put a huge last-minute burden on their shoulders."

"Can't you at least get another proctor?"

"No. Hayate died, Genma is on a long assignment in the Land of Water, and I'm sure as hell not doing it myself. I trust your judgment in proctoring the combat phase of the exam more than anyone else."

"Damn."

"Oh and be vigilant. Proctors are often approached with bribes by those with a financial stake in the outcome and occasionally assassination attempts will occur if a refusal is given."

Shikamaru grinned. "You gamblers sure are an interesting bunch."

"Hardly call it gambling if you only lose all the time," muttered Shizune under her breath.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"EEP!"

---

Within 48 hours, notices were given to the various sensei via messenger hawks. Squad leaders were given one day to recommend and register their three man units.

"Three man?"

Kakashi looked up over the notice at Sakura. "Um, Sakura, unless you can become three people I think we may have a problem."

"Kakashi Sensei, can't we get another two recent academy graduates to sign on with me? I told myself I'm not putting my life on hold just because Naruto and Sasuke are gone."

"That's admirable," replied Kakashi, "But think about what you're suggesting. All those kids graduated in mid-October. Barely even two months ago. No battle experience, probably all Class D missions, plus they already have sensei and teams of their own. It can't be done and even if it could, it just wouldn't be practical. Imagine going through the Forrest of Death with two teammates that are totally wet behind the ears. It would be suicide."

"Are there any units I could join? I mean, what if one unit is short a member?"

Kakashi thought for a minute. "Well… now that you mention it… there is one. Just one problem."

"What's that?"

"It's Asuma's team. Since Shikamaru was promoted they DO technically have an opening. But I'm sure there's a lot of demand for that opening. And… Well let's face facts. You and Ino haven't exactly been on real friendly terms."

"Sensei, the Hokage herself would tell you that Ino and I are capable of working together perfectly well. You should have seen our last training exercise."

"It's not up to the Hokage," replied Kakashi. "It's not up to me either. It's up to Asuma to recommend you and it's up to her to accept or deny the recommendation. And frankly, Asuma thinks the two of you are both crazy."

"Humph. Wears an ugly beard like that and says WE'RE crazy?"

Kakashi couldn't stop himself from laughing over that one. "Careful there, Sakura. If he takes you on, then for the duration of the exam HE'S your sensei. Wise not to insult a sensei's facial accessories."

"Well I've gone this long without insulting yours," replied Sakura in reference to the mask.

"And I thank you for it. Well, I suppose we'd better approach Asuma and try to reason with him as best we can."

---

Gaara's eyelids opened slowly as he took in his surroundings. Around him was the same laboratory equipment he'd seen last night. Same diagnostic equipment was hooked up to him. It was slightly more quiet and the lights were dimmed now.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"About four hours," replied a technician. "How do you feel?"

"Hmm… perhaps a bit lighter."

Gaara rose from a cot that was surrounded by a sealing circle and slowly removed the various sensors attached to his body. He had agreed to take part in an experiment to see if the Shukaku could be suppressed during periods where he was unconscious. Normally sleep would have been dangerous for Gaara. He could survive and function on no sleep due to the effects of having the Shukaku inside of him but it wasn't quite the same as the way a person who sleeps functions.

"I'm surprised to see you awake after such a short sleep," commented the technician.

"I'm not sure my body enjoyed that," replied Gaara. "Maybe that's why I woke up. I was dreaming. I don't like that."

"Dreaming about what?"

"I don't want to talk about it," replied Gaara quietly. He had dreamed about his mother.

"Well at least tell me if the Shukaku made an appearance in any dream."

"No," replied Gaara. "He must be mad at me for doing this."

"Hell with him. You earned a rest. As far as the scans indicate, your pulse was a little slower than a person in a state of sleep should be and your body temperature was a little lower as well but all else seems normal."

"Hmm… yes, I do feel a little cold. And hungry. Please excuse me."

Gaara got up, put on the rest of his clothes, and walked out. The sky was starting to show the first signs of morning. It was cold. Nights in the desert are often cold and the fact that it was December wasn't making it any warmer. Nothing was open, no one was awake. Gaara was alone in the street with his thoughts. Well… not quite alone. As he looked up he noticed Baki standing on a balcony looking down at him. Baki waved to him and Gaara nodded in reply. Gaara didn't give it much thought really. Baki often worked night security detail. He continued on his way home.

Baki watched as he disappeared into the shadows. Another man in Sand Shinobi attire with a lab coat worn over that came and stood next to him. He was Shigeru, a village council member, a skilled physician, and the head of scientific research and medical services for the entire village.

"So, what do you think?" asked Baki.

"I'm seeing positive development," replied Shigeru. "Everyone's commented on how his temperament seems to have magically changed. He's still sort of quiet but I don't see the hostility or signs of disturbance I used to. It's as if some inner conflict has resolved itself."

"And the sleep experiment?"

"Well Baki, we've only done it once so it's too early to say just yet but he seemed to tolerate it pretty well."

Baki looked up at the new morning sky. "He's strong as a lion. We need to make him steady as a rock as well. You know how important he may become to us. He's the son of the Fourth and the strongest shinobi in the village. And we've operated without a Kazekage for quite some time now."

"Well you know my feelings on that," replied Shigeru. "I favor a wait-and-see approach. We've functioned well so far with the council running the village and I think it would be a mistake to rush into anything hastily. Especially with Gaara. If for no other reason, I want him to feel at ease."

"The people want a Kazekage," said Baki. "And he has started to show signs of ambition. He trains so much harder these days."

"What do you say we test him out a little?" said Shigeru. "We were going to let him retake the Chunin Exams in July. Why not have him enter earlier by putting him in the session that was just announced?"

Baki thought for a minute. "I'm sure he'll be up for it. Temari and Kankuro are another story. I spring this on them with a mere two weeks' notice and they're liable to have a conniption."

"Perfect. We'll see how he handles their reaction."

Baki sighed. "It was easier in the old days. They were scared of him so they'd do anything he said without objection. Damn family bonding!"

---

Asuma took a deep drag on his cigarette. "I'll come right out and tell you, I'm not crazy about this idea. My team's had outstanding chemistry up until now."

"Any new addition is going to rock the boat somewhat," replied Kakashi. "One way or another, it's not going to be Ino-Shika-Cho this time around."

"I'll tell you who wants Shikamaru's slot more than anyone. Hanabi Hyuga. She became a Genin back in October and was pestering for it even before then."

"I assume she's already been assigned to another squad," replied Kakashi.

"She is, she hates it, her sensei has not and will not recommend that team for this exam. She's damn powerful but her two male teammates are just average rookie genin. She's actually gone to the Hokage herself to ask for a transfer. I was told by Lady Tsunade and by Hiashi that it's up to me."

"I know you," said Kakashi. "And I know all too well that you would have brought her aboard already if you thought she was the best candidate." Asuma did not answer. Kakashi continued. "These kids have been through the exam together before, have been on actual combat missions; Asuma, they've been to hell and back."

"Then we'll put them to a test," replied Asuma. "My recommendation is due tomorrow at noon. So tomorrow at 6 AM sharp, they'll take the bell test together. One way or another, at 11:30, I'm leaving to give my recommendation. If the bells have been captured by then, Sakura gets the slot. If not, it goes to Hanabi. Oh, and one additional condition."

"Yes?"

"Not one word to Sakura or the other two about this. No chance to prepare, no chance to discuss strategy together. Just have her at the field by six."

End Chapter 1

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This work is entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is pure coincidence.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"OK, I assume we all remember how this works. You have five and a half hours to get these three bells from me using any means at your disposal. Teamwork and killing intent are essential but that goes without saying."

"Um… Asuma Sensei, you won't be using those trench knives, will you?" stammered Choji.

"Only to fend off your attacks," replied Asuma. "Ino, I must say, I've rarely seen you look so glum."

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied. "I just remember how much easier it was the first time we did this. All Choji and I had to do was take the time to force you to move within range of Shikamaru and his shadow got you. We had those bells in three hours."

"Don't worry," said Sakura. "Just pretend we're in another training drill. Focus on the goal and how each person is capable of contributing, just like Lady Tsunade's always saying."

"Wow, you're pretty calm considering this is all for your fate," said Ino.

"Well if we can't pull this off then as far as I'm concerned I don't even deserve to participate in the exams this time around."

Asuma cleared his throat and grinned. "While you were busy talking, it turned six o'clock. It's now officially on, folks." And with that he quickly formed a series of hand signs. A strong gust of wind spewed forth from the general area where he was standing and before anyone could react the gust immediately became so strong that it sent Ino and Sakura flying backwards. Choji reacted immediately. He doubled his body size and used his chakra to make his feet grip the ground.

"Partial expansion!"

He used his newly elongated arms to grab Ino and Sakura before they were blown away from him entirely. Using his brute strength, he pulled the two closer to himself. The wind was so intense that the three couldn't even keep their eyes open. This was exactly what Asuma had hoped for. As quickly as the wind had kicked up, it suddenly died down and vanished. But so had Asuma. When the three opened their eyes, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh great," growled Sakura. "Some medic shinobi you and I turned out to be!"

"Hey! Just what exactly are you implying?" hollered Ino in response.

"How many times did Lady Tsunade warn us 'Never, ever close your eyes in a battle'. And now we have and he's flown the coop. Had he been an enemy he could have attacked us."

The three of them looked around at their surroundings. They were in a glen a few miles north of the village which was entirely surrounded by woods. It was six in the morning on a winter's day and thus the sun was not yet up so visibility was low.

"It's hard enough to take the bells off a Jonin when they stay in one spot," complained Choji. "And now he wants to play hide and seek. He's upped the ante a wee bit."

"Well yeah," replied Ino. "This time we're trying to become Chunin. Last time we were only aiming to keep Genin status. This time he won't go so easy on us. Sakura, did Lady Tsunade teach you how to summon slugs yet? We could use some assistance if we have to go searching for him."

Sakura shook her head. "Sorry, we haven't gotten that far yet. But we may be able to make a good guess as to where he went. He didn't pass us, that's for sure. His own jutsu would have caught him. He must have gone north. The woods thin out to the northeast and northwest so odds are he went due north. And we know he has to be back in the Village by noon so he won't wander too far north. My guess is, he's nearby. He has to be. If he strayed too far, he could end up in foreign territory and that's a big no-no."

"Alright Sakura! I knew that big brain of yours would come in handy for something."

"Uh, he could have gone east or west," said Choji.

Sakura nearly slapped herself for not realizing that. "If he did that, he might already have slipped behind us to the south. It would make sense. He could be anywhere."

Suddenly something dawned on Ino. "Sakura, which way is the prevailing wind blowing?"

"Southwest. Why do you ask?"

"Then I bet he went that way. West first, then south. He wouldn't want the smell of his cigarette smoke to float in our direction and tip us off. He's too compulsive to not smoke even if it did risk giving him away."

"Ino, he's a Jonin. I'm sure he has enough self-restraint not to… What are you two laughing at?"

"Sorry, Sakura, but you just don't know Asuma Sensei like we do," replied Choji with a laugh. "He'll smoke at least half a pack before the deadline."

The three of them took to the treetops and headed southwest. The darkness would have made it impossible to look for a trail and Asuma would be more than clever enough not to leave one anyway. They had gone maybe a mile when they encountered a section of forest where the upper tree limbs had all been sawed off.

"Sheesh, looks like he thought of everything," grumbled Choji.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to follow him on the ground," said Sakura. All three descended to the ground below. "Now we'll have to be very careful. It's much easier down here to leave a booby… TRRAAAAPPP!!!"

At that very moment Sakura, Ino, and Choji fell right into a booby trap a second year academy student could have spotted. It was a wide and deep hole in the ground that had been covered with a layer of sticks and concealed with a bed of dead leaves. And as a special surprise bonus…

"Ew! What is this?!" hollered Sakura.

"Ohmigosh, omigosh! IT'S IN MY HAIR!" screamed Ino.

"A hole full of horse manure," grumbled Choji. "Very cute."

"Oh that's it! He messed with the wrong bitch! I'm gonna take those trench knives of his and shove them up his ass!" Ino stood up and climbed out of the pit with fire in her eyes. Choji and Sakura followed suit. "Of all the mean-spirited, sadistic, and downright pointless things to do…"

"Ino," interrupted Choji, "It may well have been mean-spirited and sadistic but hardly pointless. It will make it harder for us to sniff out his cigarette smoke if we're covered in crap and make it easier for him to smell us out before we can get close to him. Remember, the wind is blowing towards his direction."

"Yeah," answered Sakura. "And my fist is gonna be heading in his direction too. Come on, Ino! Let's find him and tear him apart! CHA!"

"Right behind you, Sakura!" hollered Ino.

"Wait, both of you."

Ino and Sakura shot Choji a dirty look but he was not intimidated.

"Look, if you two abandon strategy and go off half-cocked just because he ruffled our feathers a little…"

"A little?!" said Ino in disbelief.

"Choji, we're covered in horse shit!" growled Sakura.

"And if you two lose your heads he'll simply have more fun with you, you'll end up covered in whatever other gross things that he's already thought up, and by noon we'll fail. Now look, there's a creek over there and beyond that is a trading post. I bet they sell soap there."

"Hope they sell new outfits too," grumbled Sakura.

"And have a beauty salon," added Ino.

"At least we know from this little trap that we headed in the right direction," said Choji. "Now that we've gotten close, how do we find him and surprise him? Now that is the essential question."

"Just leave that to me," replied Ino.

---

Asuma was about half a mile ahead and was setting another booby trap. This one involved rubber snakes that would fall out of a concealed net. Ino was terrified of snakes. He only wished he could have seen the look on her face when she'd fallen into the pit he'd dug.

Just then a hawk swooped down and grabbed up one of Asuma's rubber snakes in its talons. It landed on a nearby branch and began to pick at it.

"Sorry pal, but that's not real food," said Asuma with a grin as he lit a cigarette. The hawk paid him no mind and continued pick at the rubber snake. "Suit yourself." Asuma finished his trap, extinguished and buried his cigarette and took off, now bearing southeast directly towards the village. The hawk dropped the rubber snake and flew off due north. Suddenly it landed on a branch and looked very confused and disoriented. Ino's Mind Transfer Justsu had worn off and the hawk had no idea what had just happened to it. But now Ino knew exactly where their target had gone. The three of them had indeed gone to the trading post to buy soap and new clothes. They were also lucky enough to find a bathhouse nearby. Bathing in a freezing cold river in December would have been most unpleasant to say the least. Probably not fatal, as circulating massive amounts of chakra through the body can keep someone warm, but certainly unpleasant. They were down to their last two hours and they intended to make those two hours count.

"Oh man, all this cost us a fortune," moaned Choji. "Not one Ryō left for food, either."

"I'm more worried about the time it cost us," replied Ino. "But we had to do it if we want to catch him."

"On the plus side, he's ours now," said Sakura.

---

"I'm sorry, sir," said the ferry boat conductor. "The motor is having problems. I can't take you across the river until it's fixed."

"Do you know how long that will take?" asked Asuma. "I need to be in the Hidden Leaf Village in the next two hours."

"Oh, I doubt I'll have it fixed by then," replied the conductor.

"Well, thanks anyway." Asuma took a look at the river. It was wide and the current was strong but probably not too much for him to handle. He walked down the bank a few hundred yard to a narrower spot and prepared himself to apply chakra to the soles of his feet and try to walk across. Just then a rope javelin came flying out from behind him. He dodged quickly enough to avoid being impaled by its point but not quickly enough to avoid having the rope wrap around him.

"Gotcha!" hollered Choji. He grabbed the rope and reeled in Asuma towards himself with as much speed and force as possible. "So, I'd say you owe us for that little horse crap stunt, Sensei."

Suddenly, Asuma turned into a log. The real Asuma sprang out of the ground behind Choji and pinned him to the ground.

"And I'D say you ought to know better than to fall for a simple substitution jutsu, Choji." Asuma jumped off of Choji and out of the way just in time to avoid Sakura who came flying at him from out of a nearby bush. "Ah, so glad you could make it too. Now… let's see… we're missing one. Ah yes, here we go." He leaped to one side just in time to dodge Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu. Ino's helpless body slumped to the ground.

"Damn!" Sakura could not hide her disappointment.

"Oh, cheer up, Sakura," mocked Asuma. "You still have me outnumbered by one. I suppose I should congratulate you three on coming together as a team and actually finding me. But you won't get so much as an approving nod unless you get these." He pulled out the bells for all to see.

Sakura and Choji prepared to go on the offensive. Choji placed himself between Asuma and the river and Sakura placed herself between him and the woods. His escape paths were essentially cut off. Sakura made the first move. Her fists glowed with chakra as she swung at Asuma with all her might. He was able to dodge. She immediately dropped down to kick out his legs from underneath him but not only did he jump over the kick, but he jumped over her completely and made for the woods.

"Oh no you don't!" hollered Choji. "Full expansion!" Choji became a giant and attempted to jump on top of Asuma. At the last possible second, Asuma blasted a large hole in the ground in front of him with a paper bomb and jumped inside in order to avoid an imminent crushing. Without the curry pill, Choji's jutsu wore off too quickly. He shrank to his normal size and Asuma easily picked himself out of the hole.

"OK, my turn," said Asuma. He began to rotate his body very quickly, tossing out kunai rapidly as he turned. Choji jumped behind a large rock and Sakura did her best to dodge and to bat them out of the air. Choji picked up the boulder he was hiding behind and tossed it at Asuma. Out came the trench knives and Asuma easily cut it to bits in mid-air. Sakura began forming hand signs and immediately Asuma could tell she was about to attempt a genjutsu. He casually tossed a flash bang in her direction to disrupt her. She was nearly deafened and blinded by the explosion.

"HA!" Choji had moved surprisingly fast and had caught Asuma off guard while he was dealing with Sakura. He tossed Asuma over his head. Had it been a judo match, Choji would have scored an ippon right there and then. The two of them wrestled around on the ground while Choji desperately tried to grab the bells. Choji had the strength advantage and was comparable in size but Asuma's knowledge of taijutsu techniques gave him the overall advantage. It frustrated Choji beyond words.

Asuma reversed Choji, put him in a full nelson, and then looked around quickly. Sakura still hadn't recovered from the flash bang, Ino was still out like a light, and Choji was in no position to fight him now. He threw Choji over his shoulder and made a break for the river. All of the sudden he stopped running, smiled, turned back and walked over to Choji. He reached inside his pocket, pulled out the bells and handed them to a stunned Choji.

"Sensei, I… I can't take these. We have to earn them."

"And earn them we did."

"We?"

All of the sudden he realized what was happening. He wasn't speaking to Asuma. He was speaking to Ino. She had only pretended to cast her jutsu earlier. When Asuma made a break for the river she used it for real.

Choji began to laugh. "Hey Ino, think you can hold him long enough for us to find some horse crap and toss him in it face-first?"

"No, but I can hold him long enough for you to toss him in that river."

Choji looked over at the freezing water. "I dunno. That's kind of mean." No sooner had the words left his lips than a very ticked off looking Sakura walked up, grabbed Asuma's possessed body and threw him in. Almost immediately, Ino re-entered her real body and stood up.

"Hey! Give me a chance to leave him first! That was cold!"

They turned towards the water and watched a cold and sputtering Asuma pull himself out and back onto dry land.

"Um, so I guess we're even for the whole manure thing, huh?"

Ino and Sakura exchanged glances.

"Nah!" they said in unison and pushed him back in.

End Chapter 2

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Asuma caught a bad cold within hours of his involuntary bath in the river. He sat in a chair in his apartment wrapped in a blanket with a thermometer sticking out of his mouth. His feet were in a basin which Kurenai was filling with warm water.

"Those rotten kids!" grumbled Asuma.

"More like that rotten sensei," replied Kurenai. "It's impossible for me to sympathize after what you did. If you'd dropped ME in horse manure you'd have bigger problems to deal with than a cold."

"In all fairness, they should have seen that trap from a mile away," said Asuma. "It's not as if they were just given those Leaf headbands yesterday."

"But you DID recommend Sakura for the exams, right?"

Asuma nodded. "Yup. Everything's signed, sealed and delivered. Now we just wait for the first of the year."

"You planning on getting in as much last-minute training as possible?" asked Kurenai. "There are still twelve days left before the written exam begins."

"You better believe it," replied Asuma.

"Anything in particular, or is that some sort of secret?"

Asuma grinned. "Well since they seem to like getting people wet…"

---

"Come on, Choji," hollered Asuma. "Pick up the pace before Ino and Sakura lap you."

Asuma watched as his team swam laps as rapidly as possible at the Hidden Leaf's indoor pool at the local health club. Choji was struggling to keep up as Ino and Sakura sped through the water at a good clip.

"Asuma-sensei, this is killing me," replied Choji.

"I don't see how," said Asuma. "Those are barely even proper strokes that you're using. More like a doggy paddle. And you're not Kiba. So get moving and do it right!"

"But I'm gonna drown!" wailed Choji.

"He's gonna get us all in trouble if he doesn't shut up and move it," grumbled Sakura. She and Ino finished their two miles and turned to see that Choji was a lap and a half behind them. "I knew it. Asuma Sensei will get upset."

"I know how to move him along," said Ino. "HEY CHOJI! You're too freaking fat to drown so don't worry. Lard floats."

Choji's eyes went wide. He tore through the final distance like a speeding torpedo and when reached his goal he jumped out of the pool and pointed angrily at Ino.

"Ino, I dare you to say that again! Some people have no sensitivity at all and you've been shooting your mouth off almost as long as I've known you. How'd you like it if I called you flat-chested?!"

"Offhand, I'd say you have bigger boobs than me," replied Ino coyly.

"Why you…"

"OK, enough chit chat!" hollered Asuma. "One more mile. Butterfly stroke this time. If anyone slows down or gets lapped we'll do one more."

---

"Oh, Gai Sensei, I am so very psyched," said Lee with a grin as he and his teammates gathered around the practice field. "I feel like I could run a marathon. On my hands. And then do five hundred pushups afterwards! In fact… Let us do that!"

"Where DOES that boy get his energy?" mumbled Neji with a smirk. "Must eat rocket fuel for breakfast or something."

Gai chuckled to himself. "Lee, your vigor for life impresses me as always. But I do have something quite a bit different in mind." He yanked out a scroll and in a puff of smoke, several one-hundred pound weights and two tall metal structures each looking like a giant letter T appeared. "Here's the challenge. How much weight can you hold on to using chakra only and how long can you hold onto it?"

Lee was stunned. This was a new one for him. "Impressive. Oh, me first, Sensei! Please!"

Neji looked over the equipment that had just been summoned. "I suppose we'll be holding on to the bars of those structures with our hands while trying to keep a series of weights attached to our feet using chakra only."

"Almost, Neji," he replied. "Your hands will not grip the bar. Rather, the chakra coming out of your hands will do that. Thus, this exercise is twice as difficult. Your whole body will be pushed to it's very limits. This is how the Second Hokage used to train."

"I have to hand it to you, Sensei," said Ten Ten. "You challenge the gods with this one."

Gai simply smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Now Lee, for this exercise you must remove your leg weights. You'll need those muscles of yours to concentrate entirely on what they're doing."

"Yes, Gai Sensei. And if I cannot outlast you all, it is five hundred jumping jacks."

"Lee, we're doing that afterwards anyway."

"Awesome!"

---

Baki greeted his team as they arrived at the training facility. This was a first for him. He had never actually done any conditioning coaching with Gaara or Kankuro before. Only Temari. No one knew for sure just what sort of training Gaara had been doing before his encounter with Naruto. Kankuro had worked with Yura, a private puppet coach who focused more attention on chakra control than physical fitness. Baki's role had been to lead when it was time to go on a mission. Now was his chance to have all three working out together.

Gaara had never even seen the inside of this facility before. The sights, the sounds, and even the smells (particularly the smell of chlorine from the pool nearby) were all strange to him. "Will we be using those?" he asked, pointing at a set of weightlifting equipment nearby.

"A little later," replied Baki. "I have to teach you proper lifting techniques. But first everyone take those items off of your backs." Temari set down her fan, Gaara his gourd, and Kankuro his puppets. "Now, Temari, I bet you can guess what's coming up now."

"I'd say… Usagi," she replied. "You're rather predictable with that thing."

"Correct."

Kankuro looked confused. "Usagi? What on earth kind of name for a training exercise is that?"

In reply, Baki opened a bag he was carrying and to Kankuro and Gaara's surprise, pulled out a mechanical rabbit.

"This is Usagi," he said. "It moves like a real rabbit but with more speed and unlimited endurance. While one of you chases it, the other two will be running on a pair of treadmills. Believe me, this will not be easy if you aren't used to it. The results of this training are phenomenal. Your endurance, speed, and agility will become greater than ever before. I once had a sensei who used to leave us in the wilderness with no food. You wanted to eat, you had to catch a jackrabbit. This one doesn't tire out, though, so it's an improvement. This will be quite an adjustment for you boys who are used to rather stationary fighting. Temari, you go first, the two guys, on the treadmills."

While the boys jogged at a brisk pace, Baki set the rabbit down. Temari was indeed used to chasing it but it was never an easy task and she hated it. "Here, bunny, bunny, bunny," she called out as she chased it. "I don't want to eat you, I just want to end this humiliating experience as soon as possible." The rabbit paid no heed as it shot off in all directions at a large rate of speed. It's greatest advantage was that it could stop and change directions on a dime much like the real thing and could accelerate from a dead stop way faster than a human. Time after time, Temari would nearly fall over as the rabbit came to a dead stop and then tore off in another direction. The rules of this exercise were to use muscles only without using any extra chakra to aid speed. After ten agonizing minutes, she finally cornered it and its efforts to jump over her and escape were too little, too late.

"Nobody stop! Temari, get on the treadmill, Kankuro, your turn with the rabbit."

Temari felt as though she would drop dead and wanted to rest very badly but she ran over to the treadmill and began jogging. Kankuro took up his position and made a move at the rabbit. Immediately it dashed between his open legs and when he made a mad dash to grab it, he fell on his face. The rabbit turned around and actually ran over his fallen form and dashed off.

Temari couldn't help but snicker. Just then she noticed that Gaara had laughed a little too. She looked over at him jogging with a slight grin on face. It had been a long time since he'd been content enough to do that. Temari remembered what a cute little boy he'd been as a toddler and her attempts to play with him when her father wasn't looking. He had always wanted everyone to keep their distance from Gaara, whom he had already grown to hate. He wanted his other two children to feel the same way about him. Only Yashamaru was allowed to show him any consideration or affection so that he wouldn't grow too warped or simply stop eating. Temari hadn't shed so much as a tear when her father died. She'd felt guilty at first, but seeing Gaara like this now reminded her of how bad things could have been and the good that never would have happened had he lived.

---

"Well, I'd say your attire is finally appropriate," said Kurenai. "I never in all my life saw three people all wear parkas in the summer but now that it's turned cold, I suppose it's more sensible now."

"Um… Kurenai Sensei, is Asuma Sensei over his cold yet?" asked Hinata.

"Cold?" she replied. "Didn't realize he had one. That's too bad."

Hinata looked confused. "Kiba, I thought you said she was taking care of him over at…"

"Shhh…" he interrupted nervously. "Um, she's just kidding, Sensei. So, what's the plan? Running? Weight lifting? Obstacle course?"

"Class D mission, actually. But it's one perfect for conditioning. The Hokage wants us to shovel snow off the rooftops of a series of buildings. Too much weight from snow can cave in a roof."

"Humph," grumbled Shino. "Over a hundred fire style users in town and they want us to do this the old-fashioned way."

"Why Shino, since when are you afraid of a little hard work?" asked Kurenai. "Melting the snow would risk roof leaks."

"I'm not bothered by hard work at all," he replied.

"I see. You wouldn't by any chance be afraid of heights, would you?" asked Kurenai. Shino tensed up a little at that. "Ha, I thought so."

"No, it's not that," he said nervously. "It's not heights that bother me. It's heights that are covered in slippery ice."

Kurenai had to laugh a little at that. It was not often that anything made Shino uneasy. "You should be able to prevent slipping by applying chakra to your soles. Or would you prefer I lend you some spiked cleats?" Shino blushed. "Alright. I'll quit teasing. Now this is about three hours worth of work. Given the fact that we're training, I want it done in one hour. Kiba, you'd better let me hold on to Akamaru. I'd be a bit more concerned about him falling off a roof than Shino. He can't grip with Chakra."

"He can so," retorted Kiba. "Show her, Akamaru." He set Akamaru down in the snow and pointed at a wall for him to climb. But the dog ignored Kiba entirely and tried to gnaw off the leather dog boots that Kiba's mom had put on his feet. "Hey, cut it out! Those were expensive! Mom will kill me if you wreck those!"

"I think I'll hold on to him just to be on the safe side," said Kurenai.

---

Tsunade sat in her office, staring out her window. From her high perch, she could see a lot of the village. She could see people engaged in commerce, an academy instructor teaching an outdoor genjutsu class, Genin all over town hard at work, and Shino falling off a roof and landing upside down in a garbage can.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She turned around to see who had spoken. It was Kakashi. "Looks like someone forgot how to knock on a door before entering an office."

"It was open," he replied.

"So what brings you here?" she asked.

"Got any missions?"

"Hmm…" Tsuande looked through her records. "Nope, sorry. Just C and D rank stuff. I doubt you want to cut down dead trees or fill in for a vacationing sheriff a few miles away."

"Not particularly," said Kakashi. "Guess I'll do what everyone else is doing these days and get some training in." He sounded disappointed.

"Miss having your team?" asked Tsuande.

Kakashi nodded. "Odd thing is, when I was assigned to be sensei for Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto, I hated the idea. It seemed like an inconvenience. I didn't think they'd even make it simply because I hadn't passed any team before them. Now as the exams are coming up again, I'm kind of lonely and I really wish I was preparing them for it again. If Naruto and Sasuke were here I just know they'd make Chunin this time. Everyone was chiding me last year for missing Naruto and Neji's match. Said it was one of the best in the history of the exam. And if Sakura's been training under you, I bet she'll make it too."

"I believe so," replied Tsunade. "Actually, it's a good thing you're here. I was going to fetch you anyway."

"You were? Whatever for?"

"Tonbo won't be available for the exams," she replied. "He's helping Genma on his mission. As you can tell, we're none too prepared. All of this was thrown together somewhat last minute. It was only recently that we decided not to hold this in the Hidden Rain Village. Tonbo is by far the best sentinel we have in the written exam. He sees with his mind, rather than his eyes. Without him, that Sharingan of yours is our best bet."

"You do realize that with this thing, it will be literally impossible for anyone to pass the exam," said Kakashi. "There's not a single act of cheating in the entire room that I'll miss, no matter how well concealed."

"Kakashi, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The Genin are given a little slack. Not much, but a little. They get written up for things that we can reasonably assume an actual enemy would notice. Other attempts often do get noticed by the sentinels, but are overlooked because they would suffice to fool an enemy. These are also written down as part of the official report but no points are deducted."

Kakashi laughed. "That must be how Obito got away with cheating when my team took it. He kept scratching his head but the fingers were moving in morse code. Index finger for dot, middle for dash. It was very subtle, though."

Tsunade laughed too. "In my time, we used my slugs to take messages back and forth between myself, Orochimaru, and Jiraya." She sat up straight and grew serious. "Kakashi, Ebisu will be a sentinel as well. I have another reason for wanting you and he to be there. Aside from Naruto, you two are the best shadow clone users in the village."

Kakashi looked confused. "Why would we need that jutsu?"

"To break up fights. Quite a few Sand Genin are registered for this thing. There ARE still some leftover resentments from last time. The fact that Gaara and his team helped us with the Sasuke situation has helped a little, but not completely."

Kakashi thought a moment. "We didn't invite the Sound, did we?"

"Of course not!" answered Tsunade. "I was surprised when Sarutobi didn't simply expel them all from the village when Orochimaru told you that the Sound Village was his. I certainly would have."

---

As Kurenai's team was jogging around the Academy track, they'd stop after each lap to do a muscle-building exercise, such as pushups. After having done this for a while, Kurenai stopped them. "Alright," she said. "We'll finish with a wall sit. Everyone up against that wall over there. Fold your arms across your chest, push your backs against the wall, and squat down until your knees are bent in a ninety degree angle. At that point, hold that position until I tell you to stop."

She sat back and waited. Soon, the strain became obvious. Holding that position is difficult to say the least.

"Thirty more seconds!"

Everyone did their best to hold on for dear life.

Kurenai grinned. "Before I let you stop… Oh Shino…" Shino groaned. "Now Shino, my boy, why didn't you take my advice and grip that rooftop with your chakra when you started sliding?"

"It happened to fast to react," he replied.

"Ah, I see," she said. "Good thing it wasn't an enemy doing something too fast for you to react to. OK, everyone down." Everyone collapsed. "I didn't say LIE down. You can sit, but I'll have no team of mine lying around on the ground."

Kiba sat up. "Uh, Kurenai Sensei, if we're done, I need to go put Akamaru through some conditioning of his own." Akamaru heard this and moaned. "Oh, knock it off, you big baby! If I can handle this, you can. No TV until your exercises are done."

"There is something I want to discuss with all of you before you go," she said. "I want to talk to you about what it means to be a classy shinobi. Hinata, what do the Hidden Cloud, Hidden Rock, and Hidden Mist all have in common?"

"Um, there aren't invited to the Exams?"

"Correct," replied Kurenai. "And why not? We aren't at war with any of them at the moment." No one could answer. "This is important for you guys to know. These three Villages won't hesitate to do anything for the right price. Ethical considerations never come into play. You never see us have all of you fight each other to the death in order to become Genin, do you? You never see us kidnap or assassinate innocent people do you? A lot of shinobi with a conscience have trouble making it as ninja simply because deep down they see what we do as inherently wrong. We go after targets that are causing trouble for good people; good people who have no other means of defending themselves other than hiring us. We are NOT some pack of hired thugs. We provide an essential service to combat injustice. Other nations cannot make the same claim. Every ninja village has made its fair share of mistakes in this regard over the years. But the ones we deal with have a better track record. I'm telling you this because after this exam is over you may not be working under me any more if you are all promoted. You won't have my guidance and you'll have to make some important decisions out there. You must not cross a certain line in your actions, and that line is clear. You must not harm a combatant or noncombatant who poses no risk to a good person or to you. You must exercise restraint and use good moral judgment at all times. And sometimes, you must do something that neither you nor the village will be compensated for in any way if it prevents an injustice. This is the way of a shinobi with an ounce of class. You are dismissed."

Everyone stood up and went home. Everyone that is, except Hinata. It took Kurenai a moment to notice that she had not left. "Was there something you wanted, dear?"

Hinata looked more uneasy than usual. "Um sensei… I… Uh… nevermind."

"Hinata, it's OK, whatever it is. Even if it's about Asuma."

Hinata blushed. "No! Of course not! It's… Um… have you… killed a lot of people?"

Kurenai paused for a second. "If you consider 28 to be a lot, yes. Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure I could do that," replied Hinata.

"I disagree," answered Kurenai. "If a friend were in trouble, I bet you could find the strength to do what is necessary. Even if it was only you in danger, you still could. You proved that to me by facing up to Neji. If I thought you were incapable of doing whatever it takes to defend life, up to and including killing, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now because I would have taken that headband away and sent you back to your father."

"I just hate the thought of doing it. I mean… I've hurt enemies before on missions. But I've never had to… you know…"

Kurenai was quiet for a moment. "I was your age my first time. I cried all night when I got back home. No one should ever enjoy that element of the job. Your job satisfaction should come from the end result; the people who have been aided. I think Naruto's first combat mission was an outstanding example of everything I've been talking about today. The aggressors were killed, Naruto felt lousy about it but the land was defended against unspeakable evil. That's why this business of ethical decision making is so important. If you take on an unethical mission, you MUST take satisfaction in the act of killing in order to stand it because you have created injustice rather than prevented it. It warps you as a person. This is why the other villages will not be included."

"Oh. I see." Hinata looked very down in the mouth.

Kurenai put her arm around Hinata's shoulders. "Come on, I'll walk you home. By the way, I'm glad you discussed this with me rather than with your father. In the future, I hope you'll always come to me with this sort of thing."

End Chapter 3

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In a darkened room, four figures met, their appearance shrouded by shadows. From their sizes, it could be ascertained that three of them were children, and one was an adult.

"Alright," began the adult, "Our actions will likely not meet with the approval of the village elders. They think only of the short term peace. We think of the long term. In the end, we will likely lose our lives for our cause. If we live, we will certainly lose our freedom. But such weapons cannot be allowed to exist. From what I hear, he's been driven mad and we'd be doing him a favor anyway. If we can't do this through a legitimate kill in the course of a match, we'll have to act quickly before Leaf ANBU can stop us. It is of the utmost importance that before we die, they understand that we acted without the knowledge or consent of the village. Each of us will carry a note on our person to that effect if we are killed before we can speak. Our noble cause must not cause a war."

"Shh… I think I hear someone coming!" whispered one of the children frantically.

They all dove for cover. Just then, a young man with a flashlight entered the room. He shone the light around the room.

"Hello?" he called out. "Huh could sworn I heard… WHAT THE…?!"

His flashlight had scanned the ceiling. Three shinobi were up there. Before he could utter another sound, the eldest leaped down and killed the man with a kunai.

---

"Oh gees, Shizune. This thing is hideous! Do I really have to wear this?"

"I'm afraid so, Lady Tsunade," replied Shizune. "Any kage attending an exam must wear the official garb. Robe, hat, and all."

Tsunade removed the outfit and put her green jacket back on. "Well, I still have another six days before I have to make an official appearance. Think we can have it let out? It's a little tight across the chest. You laugh, you die."

Shizune tried very hard to refrain from laughing. "Well… today's the big day, Lady Tsunade. First Chunin Exam of your reign as Hokage. How do you feel?"

"I need a drink," she muttered."

---

Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai gathered all nine of their Genin together for a meeting. The anxiety and excitement was evident in the faces of sensei and student alike.

"Alright, all of you listen up," began Gai. "There are only a small handful of rookies in the exam this year. Nevertheless, you are not to discuss the last exam. No one should be warned what to expect. Second of all, if you face a comrade in combat either in the Forest of Death or in the final exam, you will be in a difficult position. These fights are to the death. Of course we try to avoid actual fatalities. What I'm asking is this… you try to avoid it too. If that means not giving it your all, this is the one time we would understand. Finally, be on your guard for trouble. Last year, Lee had to prevent trouble twice before his match came up and we sensei had to jump in once (not trying to embarrass Neji here, I'm just saying). This time, all of you keep your eyes open and be ready to intervene if something comes up. Any questions?"

Neji raised his hand. "Will there be any difference in the way they conduct this due to the winter conditions or can you not tell us that?"

"No change at all," replied Gai.

"But that will make food ever harder to find!" whined Choji.

Gai ignored that. "Well I suppose all there is to say now is how proud we are of the nine of you. Lord knows it's been a rough few months for all of you and you're all winners in my book. Now it's time to prove it to yourselves, each other, and all those other losers you guys are going to mow through on your way to your goal. Go get them with the power of youth!"

---

The nine Leaf Genin all walked into the examination hall together. None showed any sign of weakness on their faces. Inside a familiar sight greeted them. There were 234 other Genin from all over the Shinobi world gathered around the room. Most of them were much older. Many had vicious expressions on their faces.

In one far corner of the room, all 39 Sand Genin were gathered together watching for the slightest sign of a challenge from anyone. Not one of them was new to the exam. Gaara stood in their midst looking not the least bit concerned or for that matter interested in what was happening around him. When his eyes met Lee's, he bowed politely. Lee smiled and did the same.

Various headbands could be seen around the room. There were Waterfall, Grass, and Sand, but the majority were Leaf. Hinata and Neji were both shocked to recognize that one of the Genin there was none other than Hanabi.

"Did you know about this?" whispered Neji.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," replied Hinata. "You talk to my father more than I do."

"Looks like the little brat got her way after all," he grumbled. "Maybe some team came up short. Perhaps someone was injured in training."

"I guess Lady Tsunade's learned to admire persistence," said Ten Ten. "Naruto has that affect on people."

One of the Grass Genin had overheard. "Naruto, eh? Say, where is the little numbskull? I have an asskicking with his name on it. Kid got on my nerves last time."

"You're lucky he isn't here," replied Kiba. "He'd tear you apart."

"Not here, eh? Oh gees, you mean to tell me he didn't qualify to take the exams this time around?" The Grass bully began to laugh.

"Oh, it's far better than that," said a mean looking girl from the Waterfall. "I guess you didn't hear that the Leaf had an insurrection. Sasuke Uchiha ran off to join forces with Orochimaru and Naruto Uzumaki, after a pathetic attempt to stop him, has disappeared off the face of the earth."

A teammate of the Grass kid chuckled. "Is that so? Guess you guys are gonna struggle without your two champs, eh?"

Sakura heard this and grinned. Although the mockery was angering her, this kid had just recognized Naruto for the powerhouse that he truly was. And so had Kiba.

"We've still got Neji," replied Kiba angrily. "And the rest of us are no slouches either. Come to think of it, we all made it to the tower last time, but I don't recall seeing your sorry ass there."

The kid got angry and looked as though he was about to start something. Neji remembered what Gai Sensei had said about trouble and was about to try to pacify things when Gaara walked over. The Grass and Waterfall kids seemed afraid of him. "Seems someone forgot their manners," he said quietly. He looked right into their eyes and they backed off at once. He turned back towards the Leaf kids, winked, and rejoined his team.

Just then, Ibiki Morino walked into the room followed closely by Kakashi, Ebisu, Izumo, Kotetsu, Aoba, Raido, and Iwashi. Sakura couldn't help but think that Kakashi looked good in his gray Class A military uniform. At least that was her first reaction until she noticed to her horror that his Sharingan was activated.

"For most of you I should be a familiar sight," said Ibiki. "For the few of you who never saw me before, I am Ibiki Morino. My job, aside from proctor of the first exam, is to torture the living daylights out of people until they tell me exactly what I want to know. I never fail and I do it without laying a hand on anyone. This first test is a written exam. We will seat you according to a random number we give you. Your passing or failing depends on the overall achievement of your team. Scores are added up for each team. Anyone with a blank sheet this year or with no correct answer fails, as do their teammates. We will be sure to check papers before passing anyone. Anyone caught cheating will be penalized two points for each instance. The sentinels and I will be watching for this carefully. Since each test only has ten points, five violations will fail anyone and their teammates with them. ALSO… five violations total PER TEAM and all three fail. If we call out to tell you that you failed, you leave immediately and without an argument. Otherwise we proctors reserve the right to use force. You don't want that."

The Leaf kids looked at each other. The rules were a little more harsh this time. Obviously Ibiki had seen a flaw or two in the exam from last time. Ibiki began to assign seating to everyone. It was somewhat random but not random enough to have anyone sitting next to a teammate. Sakura was placed in the front row; Ino and Choji were a few rows back. Hanabi was seated right next to Sakura. Once everyone was in place, the papers were handed out.

"The tenth, and most crucial question will be given fifteen minutes prior to the end of the exam," said Ibiki. "And if you think you know what it'll be, think again. Good luck. You may begin."

Sakura flipped over her paper. The questions were much the same as they had been the year prior. She began to fill out her paper. Hanabi had not yet even picked up her pencil. She seemed to be staring straight ahead but had not activated her Byakugan. Neji and Hinata, on the other hand, had done so without hesitation.

Kiba, upon seeing Kakashi's Sharigan activated figured that using Akamaru would be a dumb idea. He was right. Using a ninja hound was something an enemy would have certainly noticed. Hinata saw this and decided to forward her information to him. Kakashi almost laughed out loud when he noticed what she was doing. It was the exact same tactic that Obito had used. Just then…

"Number 82 fails!" called out Kakashi. It had been that Grass kid that had been taunting the Leaf nine. One of his teammate angrily slapped him in the back of the head as they walked out. As he did, a bunch of cheat sheets hidden under the boy's clothing came loose and fell to the floor. "Team 3 also fails!" he called out. "I saw you look at that cheat sheet when it hit the floor young man, and your two teammates have each already cheated twice. Hey! Grass kid! Before you go, pick those up!"

Kankuro sat back and was going through the test with ease. No one had notice him concealing Crow behind a wall, putting a hole there, and placing a well concealed two-way mirror in front of the hole.

Temari had a kid next to her who seemed to know all the answers. She guessed correctly that he was a Chunin decoy. She put her palm out and felt the air. Any object that moves creates very subtle air currents. She could feel every last one of them and knew exactly what he was writing.

Sakura rubbed her thumb on the desk. This was Ino's signal that she was finished. Ino quickly used her Mind Transfer Jutsu to enter Sakura and memorize her answers. She quickly re-entered her own body and coughed to signal to Sakura that she'd gotten what she needed and to signal to Choji to get ready to receive the answers. Her left big toe, as well as Choji's had a wire tied to them. She tugged in morse code on the wire. A quick tug was a dot, a slow tug was a dash.

Lee had studied obscure information since the last exam. He could answer about six questions with no help. He had unraveled his bandages just a little and had very discreetly written answers on that. Then, when he was finished, he tore the piece off, wrapped it around a pebble, and very quickly slid it along the floor to where Ten Ten was seated.

"AH!"

At that moment, Sakura fell to the floor. Ibiki walked over.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

Sakura picked up her chair and examined it. "Someone sawed through the legs!" she complained. Ibiki walked over grabbed a chair that was no longer in use and handed it to her.

"That was slick, whoever did that," he said out loud. "I never saw a thing."

When Sakura sat back down she was in for a shock. A blank test form was in front of her. She couldn't help but notice that Hanabi, who up until now hadn't written a word or even moved, had her sheet turned over and appeared to be finished. Sakura groaned to herself and then quickly filled the answers back in on the sheet. Kakashi chuckled to himself but made sure to penalize Hanabi two points. After all, she was about to turn in something with her name, but Sakura's handwriting on it.

Gaara had released a very fine cloud of dust made of ground sand when he had entered the room. It had stuck to the fingers of a few test takers and he could feel the movements they were making perfectly. He wasn't one to use the same trick twice and had tried to worn Kankuro not to use Crow again. Ibiki had spotted it last time.

Shino had also noticed Kakashi's Sharingan and like Kiba, knew at once that getting help from his animal friends was out of the question. He hadn't been quite prepared for this. What to do, what to do? Too bad he hadn't been paying attention while Hinata had been broadcasting answers. Just then, he noticed that the reflection off of his sunglasses showed him what the person behind him was writing. Lucky break for him.

The sentinels had done their jobs well. Far more disqualifications had been handed out this time around. Mostly this was because of the team infraction rule. A lot of people who would not have been eliminated in prior years were failing left and right. All but three rookie teams had already bitten the dust. Hanabi and her two teammates had managed to complete the test without incident.

Ibiki cleared his throat. "Alright, fifteen minutes left. The final question is not a question at all but a challenge. Those who take it and fail will be ineligible to take the exam for the next two years and their teammates with them. I swear on my life I'm not bluffing about that. Those who drop out now and decide not to answer the question fail as do their teammates. But they can take the exam again in six months. The challenge is this. I will take each of you individually into a room. For one minute I will use every skill I have to try to get you to tell me the names of your teammates. Your job is to resist me for one minute. I will be merciless. I am the best at what I do and I've had the strongest ninja in the world beg me for mercy."

Everyone looked at each other. Was he bluffing after all or did he mean business this time? One of the rookie teams walked out without a word.

"Anyone else?"

Three more teams had members chicken out. Only the rookie team had been unanimous in leaving.

"Very well, then. Sentinels, collect the test papers. We'll grade these before we continue. Any team with someone who gets a zero fails. Any team with a combined score of less than five points fails."

Quickly, the sentinels graded the papers. One additional team failed at this point. The rest were allowed to stay.

"Kankuro," called out Ibiki. "I do hope you know how to fix drywall. Because you will fix the damage you did before leaving this room."

Gaara shot Kankuro an angry look. Kankuro looked very sheepish for getting caught twice in a row. Oh well, as least he hadn't gotten them disqualified. Yet. The tough part was still to come.

"For those of you who are left, I once again assure you, I wasn't bluffing about a word I said. I really am going to interrogate you and anyone who cracks will be disqualified for two years and their teammates with them. Those who walked out are cowards and I have no respect for cowards. They may very well try to come back again. But I doubt they'll make it next time either. Those with no heart do not become Chunin. It is also too late to walk out now. Anyone who quits now gets the two year penalty. First up… Gaara of the Sand!"

Ibiki escorted Gaara out of the room.

"No talking while this is going on," warned Kakashi.

Within seconds, they could hear Gaara screaming in pain. It startled everyone badly but no one worse than Temari and Kankuro. They were terrified at what might happen if he was pushed too far. It felt like they had just gotten him back and now he was at risk again. Everyone was counting to sixty in their minds. But when they had reached it, the yelling didn't stop, it only got a little quieter. Finally it subsided and Gaara was lead back into the room. Everyone was horrified at his appearance. He was white as a ghost. The layer of sand around his face was cracked. His eyes were wide open and he was breathing heavy.

"Next up… our resident vandal. Kankuro, come with me."

"Oh shit," muttered Kankuro to himself. Temari glanced over at Gaara. He was struggling to take his seat and not fall out of it. She wanted so badly to talk to him but she couldn't say a word.

Kankuro must have handled it better. He only yelled out once. Within a minute he was back in the room looking shaken but otherwise OK. Finally it was Temari's turn. Everyone could hear her punching the wall repeatedly but other than that no sound came. She returned a minute later with tears in her eyes but still standing.

"You guys must really hate drywall," remarked Ibiki. "OK, first team passes."

Genin after Genin was lead into the room with Ibiki. Many of them did not fare so well as the Sand Siblings. Quite a few flunked. Often, their teammates seemed relieved. True, they'd be out for two years but they were spared whatever happened in there.

"Hinata Hyuga!" called out Ibiki.

Shino and Kiba shot each other worried glances. This was what they'd been dreading. Hinata didn't look too thrilled at the prospect herself. The second she got to her feet she fainted. Kiba got up to help her.

"Back in your seat!" hollered Ibiki. He walked over to Hinata who was coming to. "Do you want to go through with this? It's up to you. But if you can't handle it, you probably couldn't handle being a Chunin."

Hinata weakly rose and nodded. She followed Ibiki out of the room. Shino and Kiba silently counted to sixty. Hinata never made a sound. Eventually Ibiki came back in. Alone.

"Kiba, let's go. You're up."

"Where's Hinata?" he demanded.

"No talking," warned Ibiki.

"Look, I don't care anymore. If she's not alright tell me or I'll kill you!"

"Ditto," called out Shino who had risen to his feet and pulled out a kunai. The two were fond of Hinata and could be somewhat overprotective at times.

Ibiki glared at both of them. "You know I could disqualify you both right now." Neither answered. Both looked like they were ready to take on every sentinel in the room. Ibiki sighed. "While I appreciate your concern for your teammate, I hope you realize that if something happening to her gets you two this worked up, it could cause problems down the road."

"You still haven't answered," growled Kiba.

"She fainted again when we were done. I had her sent to get looked over by a doctor. Now Kiba, either shut up and come with me right now, or it all ends here." Kiba got up. Some groaning could be heard coming from the other room but he came out of it alright. He sat back in his seat and tried to catch his breath. Shino got up without being asked and headed for the door.

"Cool as a cucumber, that one," thought Kiba to himself. "We're in the clear." Just then, an earsplitting scream came from the other room. Kiba slapped himself for thinking that way. He crossed his fingers and hoped for the best.

Finally Ibiki returned. Alone. No Shino. "He almost cracked. Started hyperventilating at the end so I had him go get looked at too. Sakura, your turn."

Sakura had been sitting through all this and had become more and more anxious as each person went in. She had to admit, Ibiki was very good at messing with peoples' heads. Her legs were like rubber as she followed him into another classroom. He had her sit down, closed the door, and it began.

"What are the names of your two teammates?"

While he was still speaking he cast the most intense genjutsu Sakura had ever experienced. The pain she felt was beyond description. One element of it was that she could breathe but it felt like she had been holding her breath for over a minute and a half. The room seemed to grow dark and terrifying faces seemed to be flying around. Sakura fell to the floor.

"It's only been five seconds," said Ibiki with perfect calm. "Let's make it worse, shall we?"

And with that, it felt like someone had exposed her whole body to a hot stove. In desperation she started to think about attempting to dispel the jutsu.

"I know what you're thinking," said Ibiki calmly. "Try it and you fail. And by the way, only ten seconds have gone by. Don't you just want to tell me?"

Sakura grabbed the chair she'd been sitting on and bit the backrest and began to pound the floor.

"Thirty seconds."

The burning sensation was now inside of her as well.

"Forty seconds."

She bit all the way through the chair.

"Fifty."

She began hitting herself as a distraction. It was almost over…

"Now comes the fun part. This genjutsu distorts your perception of time. Actually it's only been fifteen seconds."

"NO!" she screamed in misery.

"The names, Sakura. You know you can't do the full sixty." She spit in his face in reply. Ibiki smiled, wiped off his face and turned to her. "I lied about the time thing. It actually has been sixty and you pass. That deception is what often gets the people who fail. You pass but you don't say a word to Ino or Choji or anyone else in the room. Not so much as a hint as to what transpired." All at once the pain left her. "Do you want to see a doctor?"

Sakura tried to stand but couldn't. She nodded weakly. Two medics with a stretcher came in and carried her out. If only she could enjoy the relief she now felt. But Ino and Choji still had to face this.

---

"You're a brave girl," remarked Shizune as she healed the lacerations Sakura had received. "I never had to go through something like that. Closest I ever came was when they trained us how to resist water boarding."

Sakura didn't say a word. It had been a long time now. The exam was probably over already. Did Ino and Choji pass?

Outside she heard a familiar voice asking about Hinata. She pulled back a curtain and Neji was standing there. His eyes were bloodshot but he looked no worse for wear. She tried to call out to him but she couldn't seem to get enough wind to do it. Fortunately he saw her.

"Oh, hi Sakura."

And then she knew. Nothing the least bit unusual in his glance. She could read his face. She lay back and smiled. They had passed. And she guessed correctly that his team passed too. A moment later Ino and Choji came in smiling. Sakura could finally relax.

End Chapter 4

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Ha! Winding up flat on your back over some mind trick," mocked Ino.

"Couldn't help but notice a ton of broken blood vessels in your face," replied Sakura. "Wonder how that happened."

"It was hell for all three of us," said Choji. "The only one who didn't come out of there looking like they'd been dropped off a cliff was Lee."

The three of them were headed to Area 44. Thirty-six Genin in all had made it this far. When they arrived, Anko was explaining the Forest of Death to those who'd never been through it before. Anyone who had put up with it in a prior exam had nothing but bad memories.

"Well, glad to see so many smiling faces," she said to the somber crowd. "Time to have fun in the good old Forest of Death again. Let's see what we have here… Two Sand teams, one Grass, one Waterfall (all rookie, might get eaten), and eight Leaf. What do you say we get those waivers signed?"

Everyone filled out their forms and picked up their scrolls. Whatever dangers they had faced last time were now coupled with freezing conditions. There was no snow but the temperature was well below zero. All these teams had been taught wilderness survival in all weather conditions before but learning it and actually doing it are two totally separate things.

"Now let's see," said Ten Ten. "We appear to have an Earth Scroll. Now we haven't really talked strategy yet. That business of splitting up last time didn't work quite so well as we had hoped. What do you want to do this time Neji?"

Before Neji could say a word…

"Hey you ugly losers!" hollered Lee at the top of his lungs. "We have an Earth Scroll! Anyone who thinks he is tough enough, just you try and take it!"

Ten Ten was stunned.

Neji looked up. "Um, I'm sorry, Ten Ten, what were you asking me? I couldn't hear you over the sound of Lee shouting like an idiot."

Ten Ten shook with rage. "I'm going to KILL him!"

"Now Ten Ten, Lee's approach does have a sound logical basis if you think about it. It actually eliminates unnecessary fights. And everyone is gunning for everyone else anyway so it's not as though he's necessarily put us in additional peril." Neji paused for a moment. "Of course we COULD still kill him…"

---

"Alright," said Kiba. "Last time we struck first and struck fast. What do you say we change it up this time?"

"What did you have in mind?" asked Shino.

"We head straight for the tower right away and when we get in the vicinity, we set up an ambush. If we're challenged on the way there, we fight. But if we get there unmolested, Hinata should be able to tell who's got a Heaven Scroll."

---

"I don't know that there is any correct strategy for this," said Sakura.

Ino nodded. "Trouble seems to find anyone who sets foot in there. Not as if we'll probably have to do much of anything except enter and wait. And hope that whoever comes after us has a Heaven Scroll."

"And some food," moaned Choji. "It was bad enough finding it last time. This time everything's frozen."

"Is that all you ever think about?" groaned Ino angrily.

"Hey, when your chakra depends on calories and your jutsu all depend on size and strength, you tend to think about food quite a bit," replied Choji. "I may not be much use if I get too hungry. No joke. And all I have to fall back on in an emergency are the three Akimichi food pills."

"Don't take those," warned Sakura. "We don't need a dead teammate on our hands."

---

"OK," hollered Anko. "What do you say we get this show on the road, shall we? Everyone to your gate."

Sakura, Ino and Choji headed to Gate 3. Everyone waited nervously for the clock to reach 2:30. At exactly the same moment, the twelve necessary gates were opened and everyone entered. While Sakura and Neji's teams strolled leisurely into the forest, Kiba and his team raced as fast as they could towards the tower the instant they were let in.

Choji hummed a little tune to himself as he walked along. He was thankful to be moving at a relaxed pace. Running would have bothered him a great deal more than fighting for his life.

Everyone was thankful for a lack of snow this day. Snow would mean extra effort to cover one's tracks and no one wanted to worry about that. There had been a temporary warm spell just long enough to melt the snow but now the sky was gray, the temperature was below zero and the turf was frozen. Though it was not yet three in the afternoon, the forest was almost as dark as night. Very little light penetrated the treetops here.

---

Hanabi Hyuaga had her attention divided between scanning with her Byakugan and trying to warm her hands. Gloves were out of the question. She was not as of yet an advanced enough Gentle Fist user to make her jutsu work if her hands were covered. Her teammates were Hajime Akimichi, a younger cousin of Choji's, and Miyazaki Senju, a direct descendent of the First Hokage. This was the first exam for any of them but all three were talented enough to get permission to take the Exams.

"So, they did say there were rivers in this forest, right?" asked Miyazaki.

"That's what she said," replied Hajime. "Let me guess. Any ground water here is frozen so you can't use your water-style unless we find a river. Am I right?"

"For heaven's sake, don't announce that to the whole world!" cautioned Hanabi. "We're in trouble if anyone knows we're at a disadvantage."

"I thought you said you haven't seen anyone around," said Hajime with a grin. "If that Hyuga eye is so wonderful, you shouldn't be worried."

"I'm not worried, I'm just being cautious. Anything can be fooled, you know. Miyazaki, I'll certainly try to steer us towards the nearest river. We should be coming to one in about thirty minutes."

"So, were you paying attention when they handed out scrolls?" asked Miyazaki.

"Yup," replied Hanabi. "And offhand, we were unlucky to get a Heaven Scroll. It's hard to be inconspicuous while using Byakugan, so I didn't see every team with an Earth Scroll, but the ones I saw were tough."

"Like who?" asked Hajime.

"Like my cousin's team," she replied. "Like YOUR cousin's team. Like my sister's team. Like that psycho from the Sand Village."

Miyazaki giggled. "Of course it wasn't too hard to figure out what scroll Team Gai had, now was it?"

Hajime stopped walking. "Wait, Hanabi… are you saying that Choji has what we need?" Hanabi nodded. "Well that's perfect for us. He's not exactly on the biggest or baddest team out there, now is he? And if there's anyone who knows how to fight an Akimichi, it's another Akimichi."

---

"Hey Neji," said Lee. "I do not know if this is important or not but I saw your little cousin checking us out with her Byakugan when they were handing out scrolls. Perhaps she thought I was lying about what we had."

"No logical reason for anyone not to believe you," replied Neji. "Wonder if we'll cross paths with Hanabi." Neji paused a moment. "If that happens, just let me deal with her myself. I don't want her getting hurt."

"Got it," replied Lee. "Wow, no ambush yet. I am surprised. I thought I could eliminate any hunting on our part when I called out."

"Gee, you mean you were actually thinking before you yelled out like that?" asked Ten Ten with a scowl.

Lee was about to answer but at that exact moment something startled the three of them so horribly it nearly gave each of them a coronary. An enormous black wolf jumped out of nowhere and pounced on Lee with all its might. Lee never lost his head for a moment. He pulled himself out from underneath it right away. The wolf tried to bite his leg but it broke its teeth on Lee's leg weights.

"Eat this!"

Ten Ten summoned a huge shuriken and tossed it at the wolf. It fell dead. But there was no time to celebrate because while their attention was diverted, they hadn't noticed two dozen more wolves approaching until they heard the growls.

"Is it a summoning?" hollered Lee.

Neji immediately scanned the area with his Byakugan.

"I don't see any human enemy," he replied. "But I see even more wolves headed this way."

"Who sent you?" yelled Lee.

The wolves did not seem capable of issuing a reply indicating they were wild and therefore not summoned. While their attention was certainly focused on Team Gai, many wolves seemed angry at each other and a couple nipped at each other.

"I'll bet they're hungry and our presence attracted two neighboring packs at once," said Ten Ten. "Hope they'll fight each other to the death."

No such luck. Almost at once they came charging, fang first. Lee, Neji, and Ten Ten were back to back fighting for their lives.

---

Ino, Sakura and Choji had been walking for about two hours now, following the banks of the large river that divided the forest in half. They still had trees and other foliage between themselves and the river so as not to stand out.

"Halt!"

Ino and Sakura stopped dead in their tracks.

"Choji, what is it?" asked Sakura.

In reply, Choji picked up a stone and tossed it at the path in front of them. It hit down, collapsing a concealed trap much like the one Asuma had left for them.

"Nobody move!" growled Choji. "There may be more. And watch for attackers.

In a set of nearby bushes, Hanabi and Hajime lay in wait. They had intended for their trap to be a diversion. Now they waited to see where their three intended targets would shift their attention. If their eyes went to the treetops, they would strike. If not, they would back off and wait for another opportunity. An ambush more often than not comes from above so the odds that they would look there were great.

"Where do you think they are?" asked Ino. "I don't see anything up there."

Hanabi grew frustrated. Only Ino was looking up to the treetops. She could see that Sakura was scanning the bushes and Choji was looking for the slightest sign of earth disruption in case an earth style user was lurking below them waiting to spring up. Hanabi hadn't anticipated that they'd use this approach but this was the difference in experience between herself and the more seasoned Genin of Sakura's team.

"What about the river?" called out Sakura.

"Damn!" thought Hanabi to herself. That was where Miyazaki was laying in wait. She and Hajime could keep themselves hidden well enough but Miyazaki wouldn't be able to if they examined the water. There was no choice now.

As fast as a bolt of lightning, Hanabi leaped from her hiding place and went after Ino. On the other side, Hajime raced out at Choji. Sure, he couldn't come at him that fast given his weight, but then again, Choji was none too quick either.

Sakura saw all this happening around her but never let herself get distracted for a second. Her eyes focused everywhere and when Miyazaki came flying out of the water at her, his attack was hardly a surprise. She caught him in mid-air and sent him flying.

"Howdy there, cousin," said Choji with a grin. He easily countered all of Hajime's attempts to punch him with a chakra-packed fist. Hajime attempted a Human Bullet Tank but his efforts to roll over Choji proved futile. Choji sidestepped the attack three times with ease and on the fourth pass, he stopped it with his bare hands. Hajime returned to his normal size and Choji pinned him to the ground.

"Ah, what's this? Treachery against a family member, Hajime? You know the standard Akimichi family punishment for that!"

"Oh no, Choji, you wouldn't!"

"Vicious tickle attack!" hollered Choji. A very embarrassed Hajime laughed hysterically as Choji tickled him without mercy.

"Hee hee… Oh you lousy… hee hee… Couldn't you please just beat me up instead?"

"Nope."

Ino was having perhaps a bit more trouble. The Gentle Fist Hanabi was using terrified her. She'd seen what it had done to Hinata in her match last time. She was dodging well but not counter attacking. If only she could at least block Hanabi's hands but that would result in injury to herself. She thought about various places where she could try to strike Hanabi but if she didn't pull her hand back in time, it could mean loss of chakra circulation in the arm.

Ino yanked out a tear gas bomb and threw it in Hanabi's face. That bought her a couple seconds to think up a strategy. If the Gentle fist damaged, then perhaps… well it was worth a shot.

"Tora, Uma, U, Ne, Inu… Ninja Art: Mystical Palm!"

Ino's hands glowed with energy. But what polarity would work best? Positive polarity grew cells, negative formed a chakra scalpel. Ino decided to go with negative. The next time Hanabi attacked, an odd thing happened. Her hands and Ino's seemed to repel from one another like two identical poles of a magnet. They never came in contact.

After getting thrown by Sakura, Miyazaki got up. But before he could even form a hand sign to launch a water jutsu, Sakura had nailed his hands with a neural interference jutsu. He couldn't move them. In the absence of other options, he ran for it. He couldn't take any risks. He was the one with the scroll. Sakura didn't know this but from watching him hightail it away, she could make a decent guess that he was the team's scroll bearer.

Hanabi could see that they were beaten. She dropped to her knees, put her forehead to the ground and pressed her palms together in a display of submission. She knew these people would not kill her.

"Choji, let him up," instructed Sakura. "Hanabi, rise." Choji pulled Hajime to his feet and Hanabi got up. "OK, not bad for a rookie effort, I'll give you that. But if I were you, I'd find a safe place to hide and wait out the remainder of the five days."

"I didn't go through all this just to give up," objected Hanabi.

"If we'd been from another village, you could have been killed," replied Sakura. "Well, that's only my advice. We won't harm you but you may want to catch up with your scroll bearer. He ran off and he still has no use of his hands."

Hanabi didn't have to be told twice.

"Alright little man, time for you to scat," said Choji to Hajime. "But you owe me a barbecue dinner when this is all over."

"Oh I've never been so humiliated in all my life," groaned Hajime.

"Eh, you're young yet. Now go."

They watched as Hanabi and Hajime raced away with their tails between their legs. They couldn't help but get in a good chuckle at their expense. Maybe it wasn't so much at their foolishness but at how so short a time ago, they themselves had been that green.

"You do realize we probably let a Heaven Scroll just walk away," said Ino.

"Oh I'd be just plain embarrassed to take it from them," said Sakura. "It'd be like taking candy from a baby."

"I just hope we won't live to regret this at the end of our five days," replied Ino.

"Sakura's right," said Choji. "If beating an eight year old prodigy and a couple ten year old kids is the only way for us to get our hands on a scroll, we don't deserve to go further."

---

"My gosh, how many wolves live out here?" complained Ten Ten after a failed attempt at killing the wolves with Twin Rising Dragons.

They had already killed nine but the others didn't seem to take the hint that this was not some defenseless prey they were up against. Perhaps food was so scarce that they were willing to take any risk in order to get a meal. They were good at dodging shuriken so all three had to rely on close quarters combat.

"I have an idea," said Neji. "Ten Ten, do you have a mace and chain you could lend me?"

"My hands are too busy right now," she replied.

"Here is one," said Lee picking one off the ground that a wolf had pulled loose from Ten Ten's grip. He handed it to Neji.

"Both of you up that tree," commanded Neji. "Heavenly Spin!"

It worked like a charm. Neji cut through the wolves like a hot knife through butter. However, five were still left and showed no signs of backing down. One appeared to be the alpha male from the second pack to arrive.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Lee jumped down and dispatched it. The other four were still snarling but starting to back up just a little. They seemed to be conflicted about what to do. Just then an earsplitting girl's scream from nearby startled them and they ran off.

Ten Ten jumped out of the tree. "Sounds close. Someone found themselves an enemy I guess."

Lee laughed. "How about that? They wanted to fight but a noise scares them away. What a bunch of… Neji? Is something wrong?"

"I may be wrong," he said, "But that scream sounded like Hanabi."

Without another word he tore off in that direction. Lee and Ten Ten followed. Both of them were concerned that maybe they were being lead into a trap but they figured that pointing that out to Neji would be pointless.

The sight they were about to see was a heartbreaker. Hanabi was badly upset and shaking hard but otherwise alright. The same could not be said for Hajime and Miyazaki. They were both dead. The scroll was gone.

"Are you injured?" asked Neji frantically. Hanabi was too shaken to answer. "Hanabi please, pull it together just enough to tell me if you're hurt." She managed to shake her head no and then started to sob uncontrollably. Neji wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Annoying brat or not, this was nothing a young relative should go through.

Lee examined the bodies. He looked over to Ten Ten and silently signaled they were both indeed dead. They stepped out of ear range for a moment.

"Looks like an underground attack," he said. "Very fast, very deadly. Although I am not sure everyone who sprang out was an earth user. The Senju kid looks to have fallen to a lightning attack."

---

"Choji, is something wrong?" asked Sakura.

"He's probably just hungry, aren't you?" teased Ino. But Choji wasn't laughing.

"I… I just get this terrible feeling like something isn't right," he said quietly. "Like something awful has happened."

---

"Tell me exactly what happened," said Neji.

"It was those Waterfall rookies," she said. "They just appeared out of nowhere. Hajime and Miyazaki had literally no chance to react in any way."

"How did you survive?"

"I… I just… threw myself into a Heavenly Spin right away when it happened. I stopped when they disappeared. I didn't see what happened. Then I found these two like this. I…" she started to cry again. "I don't want to be a ninja!"

Neji was completely silent for a moment. He looked worried. This could bring great dishonor to the Clan if she was serious. Hiashi had already bragged openly about her skill a great deal to anyone who would listen. Neji looked straight into her eyes and finally spoke. "If that's your decision, I'll do everything I possibly can to make sure your father doesn't force you into this. But at least think it over, though. Let me know at the end of the exams what you want to do."

Lee looked over at the bodies again.

"Rookies did this? Neji, it does not seem possible."

"Something odd IS going on," he agreed. "But let's not discuss that right at the moment." He took some blood from the bodies and used it to draw some symbols on them. He made a few hand signs. "Corpse Transport Reverse Summoning!" The bodies vanished in a puff of smoke. "I sent them back to the Village. Hanabi, you stick with us for the rest of this."

End Chapter 5

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Night fell upon the Forest. No one had as of yet made it to the tower and two teams had died that day (well, more like one and two-thirds of a team). Each team had to sleep in shifts. While two Genin slept, the third would stay awake and keep watch. This was dangerous because all you had to do was kill the one keeping watch quickly and silently and the other two would be at your mercy.

For the Sand Siblings, this proved to be no problem. Gaara sat awake while Temari and Kankuro slept. Nights had always been lonely for Gaara since he was inevitably the only one awake. He had gotten used to it at one time but since regaining his senses it bothered him more. He'd often hang out with the night watch back home in the Hidden Sand as they made their rounds.

On top of the solitude and boredom, Gaara was cold. They'd built a man made shelter but he had to stay outside to keep watch. Behind his head, his Third Eye was floating and scanning the scenery. He wished Kankuro was awake. The two of them trusted each other more these days than they had all the time they were growing up. He could talk about anything with him. Frankly Gaara was puzzled as to why people even wanted to sleep. It made people dependent on a state of helplessness for about one third of each day. Plus he didn't see the appeal to dreaming.

Two things happened at the same time to shock Gaara back to his senses. One was two kunai with paper bombs attached hitting the shelter where Kankuro and Temari were sleeping. Before they even exploded, he felt someone dump several gallons of water on him. The Sand Shield had not activated quickly enough to respond and his Sand Armor was now soaked. This posed an immediate danger to him. Wet sand rendered him nearly immobile. Before he had a chance to think about this, two figures jumped out of the shelter a split second before it exploded.

Gaara shook himself as hard and fast as possible the way a dog shakes itself after getting out of water. A lot of the wet sand was flung off of him. Just in time, too. Three older Leaf Ninja, all boys, appeared. Like Gaara and his team, they all had something on their backs. Had the light been better, he'd have realized they were carrying water tanks.

"Looks like you're ours now punk," said one of them with a smirk. "Even your brother and sister took off into the woods and left you behind."

"Give us the scroll and we'll leave you alone," said another. "Refuse and we settle this with combat. Do yourself a favor and just cooperate."

Gaara analyzed them carefully. All three were obviously water specialists. All three needed a water source, and thus the tanks. The question was whether these guys had the ability to take a little water and turn it into a lot of water with a jutsu. This was not a Genin-level technique but he knew not to underestimate anyone in a battle. He also knew that Kankuro and Temari would never have abandoned him and that these guys were being foolish by not watching for them. At the moment, he was limited to taijutsu but on the flip side, now that he wasn't carrying any sand, he was sure he'd be faster than his attackers.

"Tell me, do you always plan your attacks out so poorly?" he asked.

"What's that supposed to mean… OOF!"

The Leaf fighter didn't even have a chance to finish his sentence. Gaara appeared next to him in a blur of speed and backhanded him with all his might before he even realized Gaara had moved. The kid was knocked to the ground.

Gaara guessed correctly that Kankuro and Temari were waiting for him to do something before they acted. As it turned out, the two figures that ran into the woods were actually Kankuro's puppets. His siblings had merely moved to the other side of the large tree where the shelter had been set up. No one had noticed. Not even Gaara.

Temari leaped out and clubbed one of them with her fan. She'd have liked to have used a wind attack but Gaara was standing too close to her target. He would have been hit. The third opponent took water from his tank into his mouth and began spitting Water Bullets at Gaara. Kankuro sent Crow into a position to block and sent Ant over to Gaara.

"Ant's yours if you can get any use out of him," hollered Kankuro.

Gaara was not a puppet master. All Sand shinobi knew how to form chakra strings so he could get minor movements out of a puppet but nothing significant. However the arms were just what he needed. They were equipped with serrated metal blades. As the victim of the backhanding got up, Gaara grabbed an arm off of Ant and raced at him for a quick kill. The kid was quick enough to avoid Gaara but not quick enough to avoid Temari as well. With her own opponent already unconscious, she turned and sent a gust of wind at Gaara's target. He whipped his tank off his back to block the chakra blades within the gust. The remainder of the gust sent him flying backwards and straight into Ant's open torso. Gaara promptly used chakra strings to snap it shut and tossed kunai into the holes.

Kankuro's opponent seemed to have the upper-hand for a few moments. He had spat out Water Bullets rapidly enough to keep Crow from getting close and had avoided its projectiles. But he was now outnumbered three to one. And now all of the sudden his legs were going numb. He was getting dizzy and could no longer bear the weight of the water tank. He collapsed to his knees.

"Nice Heaven Scroll," called out Kankuro. "We'll take in exchange for this." He held up a small blue vial.

"What's that?" asked the Leaf ninja.

"The antidote to the poison you just drank," replied Kankuro. "Waited all my life for a chance to say that."

"What are you…"

But he couldn't finish his question. Whatever it was had taken effect quickly.

"One of Crow's poison darts penetrated your water tank," said Kankuro. "You were bound to swallow at least a little of the water you were putting in your mouth. Toss us the scroll, and I give you my word we'll give you this and let you live. We could just come up and take it but you might be booby trapped somehow."

The Leaf kid knew that he was beaten and tossed over his scroll. He seemed surprised when Kankuro tossed the antidote to him. He had no reason to expect an enemy to keep his word. He had cooperated because he had lost and they'd earned it, simple as that.

"I wouldn't engage in too much physical activity for a while if I were you," warned Kankuro. "Rest and let that stuff do its job if you want to live." He walked over to retrieve Ant and remove the body of the kid Gaara had killed.

"Next time know your opponent," said Gaara dryly. "You had ample opportunity to observe us from the shadows. We had only seconds to observe you and we still won. Next time be smart and don't go getting your friends killed."

"Or smacked silly with big iron fans," said Temari with a grin. "Seeya."

As soon as they were some distance away they had a chance to talk.

"You two well rested?" asked Gaara.

"Got four hours so I can't complain," replied Temari.

"Same here," replied Kankuro. "Let me guess, you want to head for the tower right now, don't you?"

"It's the middle of the night," said Gaara. "Teams are less likely to be active now. The longer we're in this forest, the more danger we're in. Normally that wouldn't bother me so much but until I get dried off better, I don't know how capable I'll be of using sand."

"That's true," replied Kankuro, "But aren't you forgetting that the area around the tower is likely to have ambushes galore?"

"Would you rather sleep out here in the woods over the sound of Temari snoring?" asked Gaara with an uncharacteristic grin.

"I do NOT snore," replied Temari angrily.

"Ah, so that's how the enemy found us," said Kankuro with a laugh.

"Et tu, Kankuro?" groaned Temari. "Curse this small and incredibly cute nose of mine."

"Ah, so you admit you snore."

"Oh shut up, Gaara."

---

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata had found a small cave to spend the night. All three of them slept as Akamaru and Shino's insects kept watch. Though they were close to the tower, they were nowhere near the direction the Sand team would have headed in order to reach their goal.

Akamaru walked over to where Kiba was sleeping and nuzzled him. He woke up and looked over at the dog.

"What is it, boy?" In response Akamaru yawned. "OK, I get it, my turn. No problem." He crawled over to the cave entrance while Akamaru cuddled up next to Hinata and fell asleep. "I suppose you guys can sleep too," he said to Shino's bugs. They all landed on the cave wall. Whether they were asleep or not was anyone's guess.

---

"I hope no one sees this," grumbled Gaara. He was standing in the middle of four lit torches.

"We don't have a choice, now do we?" replied Temari. "The water they dumped on you froze. We can't have you immobile if we want to get to the tower."

"Damn wind chill," said Gaara.

"Well anyway your parka's dry now," said Kankuro. "Hopefully we'll be able to move again in a few minutes. Can you use sand yet?"

"I don't know."

Just then Gaara's Sand Shield popped up without him commanding it and blocked three kunai. Three shinobi flew at him from out of the trees. Their faces were covered with cloth and no one recognized their clothing. Temari and Kankuro immediately stepped between them and Gaara. Two of them engaged them while the third leaped over all of them and attacked Gaara. He still couldn't move his feet but using Sand was no problem. He created a protective dome over himself and used the Third Eye to spot his attacker and launched Sand Shuriken at him. Gaara's attacker signaled to his companions and the three fled into the night as quickly as they had arrived.

Gaara lowered his dome and tried to move his feet. "Left one's still frozen," he said. In response, Kankuro grabbed a torch and held it up close to Gaara's left leg.

"Hurry up," ordered Temari. "We're sitting ducks."

"Something odd is going on," said Gaara. "I noticed something. Those two already had both the scrolls they needed."

"Are you sure?" asked Kankuro.

"He's right," replied Temari. "One of them had both scrolls strapped to his back. We have less than one kilometer left. We need to move right away."

"OK, I can move now," said Gaara. "Let's go!"

The three extinguished their torches and took off. In less than ten minutes they were in the tower. They'd made it to safety without further incident. This place was monitored. At the first sign of a fight, several ANBU would show up. They entered a dormitory room in the basement. Temari and Kankuro went to sleep while Gaara took a warm shower. Once again, they were the first team to make it and had done so without injury.

---

The rising sun marked the start of a new day. The temperature had risen to about 32° Fahrenheit. Kiba woke with a start realizing he'd fallen asleep on his watch. Shino and Hinata were still asleep and Akamaru…

Where was Akamaru?

He certainly wasn't in the cave, that was for sure. Kiba stepped outside to have a look around. He didn't dare call out for him. The risk was too great.

"Arf!"

Kiba looked over and to his relief, Akamaru was walking up.

"I guess you had to pee, eh?"

Akamaru yapped in reply. Kiba took a good look at him.

"Hmm… I see. Just one problem. AKAMARU'S A BOY DOG!"

Kiba tossed an exploding Kunai at the imposter Akamaru. It dodged and transformed into its true self: a blue haired girl from the Hidden Sand Village.

"Ha, next time pay better attention when you do a Transformation," mocked Kiba.

"Yes, that was a bit careless," admitted the Sand girl. Her two teammates emerged from the woods. Both were girls. All three looked to be about seventeen years old. One had black hair and her face covered in a traditional ninja mask, the other was tall with short red hair. To Kiba's horror, he noticed she was carrying the real Akamaru and held a kunai to his throat.

"We are the three legendary Sand Divas," bragged the red head. "Perhaps you've heard of us."

Kiba ignored that and tossed a food pill to Akamaru. He caught it in his mouth and ate it. Immediately he turned red and let out chakra so intense that his captor had to drop him. He ran over alongside Kiba.

"Actually I have heard of you," said Kiba. "Three girls who talked a big game last year, got both scrolls and then stupidly opened them and were disqualified." They seemed less than amused. Just then Shino and Hinata ran up, having been awakened by the exploding kunai. "Hey, you two are just in time to meet our new best buddies. Remember those three nitwits from last year? Well here they are in the flesh." Now they were starting to get really mad.

"Either way, you guys are in over your head," answered the blue haired girl. "We have about five more years of experience than you three. We've been on countless B-rank missions. We won't lose to the likes of you."

"Sounds like a challenge to me," said Kiba with a grin. "Let's show them how we do it in the Leaf guys!"

Hinata didn't have to be told twice. She activated her Byakugan and noticed something interesting. The black haired girl she was up against wasn't a real person at all. Couldn't be. No chakra network. Must be a puppet. And that being the case, the puppet master had to be nearby. The puppet shot several kunai out of its chest.

"Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Hinata had never been any good with the rotation of Heavenly Spin but her own technique seemed to make up for it. No one had as of yet realized that Hinata was different from the other Hyugas in a unique way. She was the only one who's chakra nature type was water. Heavenly Spin requires a wind, fire or lightning type. She easily blocked the Kunai. The puppet rushed her. It sprouted four additional arms from under its cloak and each palm had a poisoned spike emerging from it. Hinata rushed straight at it and at the last second somersaulted underneath it and used her Gentle Fist to cut the chakra strings. She glanced back into the woods and sure enough the puppet master was there, trying to conceal herself.

Hinata ran after her. It took the puppet master a moment to realize that she could be seen. She should have run away but she underestimated this tiny girl coming at her and tried to take her on with taijutsu. Big mistake.

"Eight Trigrams! Two Palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms!"

Hinata strained hard for one more.

"Sixty-Four Palms!"

It had always been difficult for Hinata to perform this technique and she wasn't always successful. Neji could do it without trying. Needless to say she was proud of herself for pulling it off. Her opponent's vital chakra points were all closed off. The girl struggled to her feet but Hinata knocked her out.

Shino took on the blue haired girl. Immediately he felt dizzy and felt like the scenery around him was melting. He signaled for a group of his insects to bite him all at once. The pain cancelled the genjutsu. Right away he injected himself with a drug to combat the insect poison.

"Not bad," she mocked. She bit her thumb and slammed her palm to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" At once, she was joined by two enormous armadillos. Each was the size of an old Volkswagen Beetle and had huge claws. "OK boys, nail this punk!"

The two armadillos rolled into a ball and rolled straight towards Shino. They could have easily crushed him. Shino waited until they were close, then tossed some exploding kunai straight into their path. The kunai hit the ground and detonated but their outer armor was tough. Nevertheless, the blast sent them flying upwards and over his head. They landed hard and came out of their protective ball form. They ran at Shino and took swipes at him with their claws.

Their summoner laughed as he tried to avoid them. But her laughter soon turned to cries of pain. Several hundred of Shino's beetles had crawled off of his legs, burrowed through the ground (which was now less hard because the temperature had risen) and were now crawling up her legs and biting her. Shino polished off the armadillos by tossing shuriken at their soft, unprotected bellies. The girl collapsed and Shino called back his bugs. She was too badly poisoned to move.

Kiba's opponent was the red head and was probably the most talented of the group. She managed to dodge Fang Over Fang several times. She was a wind user and easily sent Kiba and Akamaru flying backwards without using a fan. She lacked Temari's ability to sent damaging chakra through air currents but was pretty tough nonetheless.

"Akamaru, use Formation 2!" hollered Kiba. Kiba raced at the girl with Piercing Fang while Akamaru used Tunneling Fang and attacked from underneath. She managed to stop Kiba but Akamaru emerged from underground behind her. She got badly clawed up.

"I… told you… I won't lose to the likes of you!" she said as she struggled to her feet.

"Great," thought Kiba to himself. "Now she's starting to talk like Naruto."

The girl jumped up to a tree branch and began sniping at them with powerful Air Bullets. Kiba and Akamaru were helpless to do anything but dodge. Small craters formed all over the ground as the Air Bullets hit. Just then, something came flying at her from behind. It was Kiba. The Kiba on the ground was a Substitution. She jumped out of the tree and he missed. Kiba jumped down and landed next to Akamaru.

"Wind Sword!"

"Uh-oh!" said Kiba. "Akamaru, I know about this technique. It killed Hayate. We get hit with that and we're dead. I hate to use this so early in the game but there's no choice. Man Beast Combination Transformation: Two Headed Wolf!"

The girl stopped in her tracks. She was truly terrified for the first time in the fight. The massive two headed wolf in front of her growled angrily. Then it lifted one leg and treated her to a horribly unpleasant Dynamic Marking.

"AH!" she screamed. "My eyes!"

The girl ran straight into a tree and knocked herself out. Kiba transformed back to normal and broke out laughing. Hinata and Shino walked up to view the scene.

"Ugh," said Shino. "That's the worst thing I've ever smelled in my life."

"You really should see a doctor about that," said Hinata. "That's just not normal at all."

Kiba noticed Hinata had one hand behind her back.

"Um, what's behind your back?" he asked. She grinned and produced a Heaven Scroll. Kiba was amazed. "They left that with a puppet master of all people? That's just dumb."

"Um… probably because a puppet master is farther away from the actual battle," said Hinata.

"Kiba's right," said Shino. "It was a dumb decision on their part. Either way, we've got our ticket out of here. Let's go."

End Chapter 6

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Neji and company had an even less pleasant start to their morning than Kiba. The remaining wolves from yesterday had come back with reinforcements. The trick he had used last time didn't work. The wolves kept their distance when he'd go into a spin. There was no choice but to fight off every single one of them. Having Hanabi with them certainly made it a little easier. When they had beaten back all but three wolves, they finally decided to retreat.

"Maybe in a previous life, one of us was a wolf hunter," said Ten Ten.

"It certainly is eerie the way they keep coming after us," admitted Neji. "Lee, you aren't concealing any steak in that jumpsuit, are you?"

"Do not look at me," he replied.

"I wish you hadn't mentioned steak," moaned Hanabi. "I'm hungry."

"Hope you like sushi, then," replied Neji. "Because so far the only food we've managed to get our hands on are coldwater fish. And we don't dare make a fire to cook them."

Ten Ten held up a bunch of kunai attached to wires. "Best fishing gear in the business."

"At this point I'd eat dirt," replied Hanabi.

"I think fish would be slightly more appetizing," replied Neji. "Let's go."

They walked until the got close to a stream. Suddenly Neji stopped everyone.

"My Byakuagan indicates there's a team by the stream doing the same thing we set out to do. They're even using the same method of fishing as us."

"I thought only my family did that," replied Ten Ten.

Hanabi activated he own Byakugan. "Three boys, all Leaf," she reported.

"What do they look like?" asked Ten Ten suspiciously.

"They're all about sixteen, wear white Leaf headbands and they have shaved heads," she answered.

Ten Ten groaned. "So that's why they were using my method to fish. Those guys are my cousins. Dong, Ming, and Lin. I kept hoping we wouldn't run into them. They tease me all the time."

"They have a Heaven Scroll," said Hanabi.

"Glad we ran into them, let's kick some ass," replied Ten Ten quickly. "Finally I have an excuse."

"You have told us about them before," said Lee. "You said they are also weapon experts, did you not?"

Ten Ten nodded. "Instead of summoning and then throwing a whole bunch of weapons like I do, they have some rather unique abilities. Dong can apply telekinetic energy to things he's touched recently, Lin can channel chakra though a kunai to form a blade of energy, and Ming can transfer a huge amount of energy to things he throws and can make them blow up or catch fire after they've left his hand without using tags."

"Oh, I want that one!" said Lee gleefully.

"I want the telekinetic one," said Hanabi. "I'm in the mood for a good fight."

Neji shook his head. "This isn't your fight, it's ours. It has to be and you need to stay out of it. I'll handle the one with the blade (sounds like a good close range fight), and Ten Ten, the telekinetic one is yours. Now, describe their appearance more specifically so we'll know who's who."

"Uh, funny thing about that," stammered Ten Ten. "They're actually identical triplets."

"I noticed but aren't there any differences?" asked Neji.

"Hmmm… Neji, look again and tell me if any of them are wearing earrings."

Neji had a second look. "Yup. One has both ears pierced with gold studs."

"That's Lin. That one's yours, Neji. Dong has a slight scar where his left sideburn would be if he had any hair. Ming has nothing in particular about him that stands out.

"Oh, I don't know. I'd say my handsome features are rather prominent."

The three turned around to see Dong, Lin, and Ming standing behind them.

"Damn," growled Neji.

"Yeah, sad isn't it?" said Ming. "Two Byakugan users and you didn't keep them activated long enough to see us sneak up."

"Oh, but I saw you." All of the sudden all three of them had their legs swept out from underneath them. It was Lee. He had noticed subtle sounds behind him and hid himself. "Cousins of our comrade, Ten Ten. Greetings. While formidable opponents you may be, you have had the misfortune of encountering the students of the one and only Maito Gai."

"Maito Gai? Isn't he that idiot that's always running around yelling crazy shit and looks like this kid?"

"Gai Sensei is not an idiot!" hollered Lee angrily. He kicked Ming in the gut and sent him flying.

Ming looked mad. "Oh, I am so fighting that weird-looking kid."

Lee was enraged. "Weird-looking? Weird-looking?! How dare you say such a thing about my friend Neji?" If the moment hadn't been so tense, Neji surely would have laughed his head off at Lee's blunder. "I will admit he is not a handsome devil like I am," screamed Lee, "But he is NOT weird looking! You fight me!"

"Ming," hollered Lin. "If you're planning on blowing that kid up, get far away from us. We don't want to get hit by any of your explosions."

Ming picked himself up. "Goes without saying that this kid's gonna get it. Follow me, brat." Ming ran off into the woods with Lee hot on his heels.

"I suppose Grandpa will get made if we kill Ten Ten," said Dong. "But these other two are fair game."

"The little girl isn't fighting," replied Neji angrily. "She's not part of our team. Her teammates were killed so she's tagging along with us. You have no business with her."

"I'll decide who I have business with," replied Dong as he reached for a kunai.

Quick as a wink, Neji got right in front of him and punched him in the gut. "Ten Ten, I changed my mind. This one's mine."

---

Ming stopped running and turned to face Lee. "That was a cheap shot, you little bastard. This Gai some kind of cult leader to get that kind of response from you?"

"He is the epitome of what hard work can do," replied Lee. "He is my inspiration."

"Well then, he can be the one to bury you." And with that, Ming kicked a tree so hard that it fell over. Lee dodged it but Ming suddenly appeared behind him with a drawn kunai. "And just like that, you join your ancestors."

Lee grinned and moved away so quick that he seemed to vanish. Suddenly he noticed he was standing too close to the tree Ming had just kicked. He threw himself out of the way.

"Oh calm down," said Ming with a laugh. "Only things that come into contact with my bare skin can go boom. For example…"

Ming tossed a kunai. Lee dodged it. It hit a tree. Just before it exploded, Lee noticed several wires coming from Ming's hand. He leaped to his left. Good thing he did. Those wires were attached to kunai with paper bombs stuck to every tree to his right. The initial kunai set them off in a chain reaction. Lee didn't sit around for even a moment. He flew back in Ming's direction.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

Lee's kick was right on target and Ming took a tumble backwards. Sadly, Lee didn't notice the kunai Ming had dropped until it was too late. It blew up, injuring Lee's left shin slightly.

"I know who you are," said Ming with a grin. "The loser. The kid they let pass who was utterly incapable of passing the graduation test. The kid who was born with a defective chakra network. The kid who can only use chakra to aid taijutsu moves. Rock Lee, isn't it?"

Lee slowly rose to his feet. "Some day that name will be on the lips of everyone in the village."

"Oh, it already is. The pitiful oaf of the Leaf. The stooge. The gimp. The jokes people make about you are to die for. Shame to have to kill you. I'll miss those jokes." He tossed another barrage. With his leg hurt, Lee couldn't quite get out of the way in time. The blast sent him flying. He crashed into a crab apple tree. All the apples fell out and covered him. He got up and yanked one out of his mouth.

"Hey… this apple does not taste right… it tastes… fermented…" Lee staggered to his feet. "Oh… oh my… I do not feel good." His cheeks turned red. He was drunk. Without warning he flew straight at Ming ten times faster than before. Instead of hitting him, he stopped one foot short and looked him over. "Say… um… what happened to your hair? Lose a fight with a weed whacker or something?" And with that Lee fell onto his back and began to laugh hysterically. "Oh my, that was funny! I kill me!"

"No," replied Ming. He jumped back and tossed some kunai at Lee's head. "*I* kill you." The kunai landed and exploded but when the smoke cleared, no Lee. "Where the hell did he go?" All of the sudden, Ming noticed something else. "My kunai and shuriken pouches are gone!" He turned around and saw Lee holding them.

"Oh you big silly bald person, do you not know playing with sharp things can be dangerous?"

"Give those back!" hollered Ming angrily.

"You did not say please, bald man," replied Lee. He flew straight in Ming's direction yet again but ran past him. "Now your face is bald too." To his horror, Ming realized that Lee had taken a kunai and had shaved off his eyebrows as he passed.

"Why you little…"

"Here I come again."

Lee raced past and this time cut Ming's belt. Without it, his pants fell down.

"And again…"

Lee raced past and punched him.

"And again."

This time he kicked him. He was so fast, Ming couldn't even see him much less block him.

"Time for a bald mummy."

Lee shot out his arms and his wrappings wrapped up Ming. He slammed him into a nearby tree hard enough to knock him out.

"Good idea. I will take a nap as well." Lee fell to the ground and began to snore loudly.

---

Neji's Heavenly Spin had stopped numerous kunai from hitting him. But since Dong was telekinetic, he never ran out. He used the same six knives over and over.

"You should have stuck to your original plan and fought Lin," mocked Dong. "You Hyugas are close range fighters." He tossed the kunai again.

"Eight Trigrams, Empty Palm!"

The technique sent the kunai flying back at Dong but he simply stopped them in midair. "You must think I have the reaction time of a snail," he said. "It won't work. Whatever you do, it won't work. A close range fighter simply cannot beat me."

"The last time I said something cocky like that to someone, I wound up with the worst concussion of my life and a broken jaw on top of that," replied Neji. He flew straight at Dong with his Gentle Fists ready to strike. He knocked two kunai out of the air but as quickly as he began his charge, he had to stop and resume his rotation. No matter what, he couldn't move his body as quickly as Dong could move those blades.

"How much chakra are you pissing away?" called out Dong. "I'm using next to zero. Wonder how long you'll last."

Neji hated to admit it, but he had a point. He could see why Ten Ten disliked these guys so much. They were worse than teasers. Verbal sadists were more like it.

"I'm starting to get impatient here," said Dong. "So I'm going to end this in a quick and relatively non-lethal manner." He pulled out a pouch and opened it. He produced a fistful of senbon.

"Oh no," thought Neji to himself. "This is going to make things a hundred times worse and make it more likely that something will end up in my blind spot. I haven't really perfected this yet but I have no choice but to use it. I just need him to get a little closer for it to work.

Dong released the senbon. Neji desperately struggled to keep up. Dong grinned. "Only a matter of time now." Neji used the Empty Palm once more. Once more, it failed to send anything back to its source. Dong stopped his attack completely for a moment and pulled all his weapons back to himself. He walked up to Neji.

"I'm getting tired of this. If you don't give in now and hand over the scroll, I'll dip all my weapons in this." He produced a vial of poison.

"He's within ten meters," thought Neji to himself. He began to take a few steps in Dong's direction. "What is that?" he asked.

"Stay back. It's just a little concoction I came up with," he replied. "Neurotoxin. Worst death you can possibly imagine."

"Almost in range," thought Neji to himself. "Now or never."

Neji raced towards Dong. Before Dong could react Neji put his palms in front of him.

"Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!"

At once a powerful wind laced with destructive chakra shot out of Neji's palms. It blew away Dong's weapons and sent Dong flying backwards and crashing into a tree. Neji didn't give him a moment to recover.

"Eight Trigrams! Two Palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms!"

With his heart on the brink of failure, Dong collapsed. Neji checked his pack. This fellow had the scroll.

"I wouldn't go running any marathons for a while if I were you," teased Neji. "You might literally die of a broken heart."

---

"Twin Rising Dragons!"

Lin batted Ten Ten's projectiles out of the air with relative ease with his energy sword. He was good, no doubt about it. It had been Lin's dream to join ANBU. Only problem was you need to be at least a Chunin. He'd failed the exam five times.

"You'd better learn something better than that," he called out. "You really aren't that much better than that Lee kid. All taijutsu, nothing special."

Ten Ten wasn't bothered. He'd been saying things like that since she was five years old. What bothered her was how to take down a close range genius. Neji was such a genius and she'd never once come close to beating him in a sparring match.

"Eat this!" she hollered. She tossed some poison smoke grenades in his direction. Thick purple smoke laced with hydrogen cyanide spilled out. She sat back and waited. When the gas dissipated, Lin was nowhere to be seen. That could mean only one thing. Ten Ten ducked and sure enough she just barely missed losing her head to his chakra blade.

"I suppose all shinobi are a little predictable with that move I just used," admitted Lin with a grin.

Ten Ten looked over and saw Neji approaching. Lin looked upset. Neji held up the Heaven Scroll he'd taken from Dong.

"I'll bet you'd like this back," he called out. "Well come get it."

"No!" yelled Ten Ten. "Neji, he's mine. I've been taking crap from those three for years. It's about time I did something about it."

"So be it," said Neji. He casually leaned up against a tree.

"Do something about it?" mocked Lin. "Do what? There's not one move you have that I can't counter."

"Not quite," said Ten Ten. "First Gate, Gate of Opening!"

Neji was stunned. Ten Ten opening a chakra gate? Lin was stunned too. He didn't have much time to dwell on it. She flew at him so fast that he had no time to react. She knocked the kunai out of his hand. Using taijutsu moves only and no weapons she pounded on him as hard and as fast as she possibly could until the strain forced the Gate closed again.

Lin rose. He wasn't quite out yet. Ten Ten was exhausted. He charged at her. He didn't notice the loop of wire he stepped in until it was too late. Ten Ten pulled on the other end of the wire and he fell flat on his face. Before he could rise, she tossed a bunch of kunai with wires attached all over the perimeter of his body. She pulled on the wires and he found himself pinned to the ground.

"Gonna gloat now?" asked Lin.

"Hmm… either that or activate the explosive tags attached to those wires," she replied.

"WHAT?!"

"Just kidding, they're all duds. I wanted you to know I could have killed you but didn't. Come Neji, let us fetch the rest of our merry crew and be on our way."

She was acting very dignified but as soon as they were far away…

"YES! YES! YEEEESSSS!!! Ohmigosh Neji, you have NO idea how good that felt or how long I've waited for that."

"Oh dear," he replied. "I wonder if Hinata will act like that if she ever kicks MY butt."

End Chapter 7

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Day two of the exam came and went much like the first. Team Gai and Team Kurenai got to spend the night in the tower with a few creature comforts while Sakura, Ino, and Choji still had yet to encounter a team with a Heaven Scroll.

"Do you still stand by your decision?" asked Ino.

"What decision?" replied Sakura. "You mean not taking the scroll from Hanabi? Of course. And if we lose on account of it I'll still stand by it."

"Hmmph. I just hope your pride doesn't kill our chances."

"At least I have some pride!"

The two glared at each other angrily. They looked over to see if Choji would intervene but he was too busy cooking the rabbits they had just caught. He had been rather detached almost since the first day in the woods. Something was bothering him but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Aren't you worried someone's going to see the smoke?" was all he said.

"I hope they do," replied Ino. "They attack and we may get a scroll."

"But we shouldn't spend the night in this area," added Sakura. "After we eat dinner we should put some distance between ourselves and this place before we go to sleep."

That night Choji used his expanded hands like shovels and dug out a pit in the ground. They covered most of it leaving only enough of an opening to get in and out. The used the pit as a sleeping shelter. Sakura still wasn't worried. But when two more days came and went without them encountering so much as one more team, that all changed.

"You made us lose!" hollered Ino.

Sakura didn't even bother responding. Mostly because she was finding it increasingly difficult to disagree with Ino. She was seriously starting to wonder if she was at all worthy of being a Chunin. The days when she had nothing useful to bring to a fight when she was with Naruto and Sasuke were fresh in her mind.

"Let's head over to the tower and try for an ambush," she said at last. "We still have eight hours. Someone is bound to head that way if anyone is still left."

---

The teams who had made it were gathered in the tower's large assembly hall. This was where they had fought their preliminary battles six months ago. Very few of them had pleasant memories of this room; not even those who had won their fights.

Lee remembered all too well how his career as a ninja very nearly ended there. He wished he'd been pitted against Dosu. Lee had no doubt at all he could have beaten him after seeing and experiencing his technique already and that guy was a jerk whereas Gaara was a decent person these days.

Everyone heard doors open. Another team was coming in. Everyone assumed it would be Sakura. To their shock, the Waterfall Team strolled in. Hanabi's first instinct was to hide behind Neji but that would have looked bad. Gaara looked them over carefully. He leaned over to Kankuro and whispered something in his ear.

"Are you sure?" asked Kankuro.

"Yes. These are definitely the ones who attacked us. They had two scrolls then. I'm not sure why they waited until the last minute to arrive here."

The Waterfall team was doing some whispering as well.

"Oh man, you mean he was here the whole time?"

"And you had us walking around the woods looking for him for days on end?"

"Well how was I supposed to know?"

Over on the far end of the room by the statue, all the sensei and proctors as well as Tsunade herself (yes they let the outfit out) were waiting. Temari spotted Shikamaru and walked over.

"Well, you must be very relieved not to have to spend time in those woods again," she said. "Such a pain, such drag."

"You might find it wise not to insult the proctor for the final exam," he said with a grin. "Not if you want me to stay impartial."

"Oh but of course I want you to stay impartial. Stay completely impartial. Don't take into account at all the fact that I saved your life or that I'm the sexiest Genin in the room."

"You really are shameless, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Wanna go see a movie when we get back to town?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

---

"Five hours left, Sakura. I am NOT liking this!"

"Not helping," grumbled Sakura.

No one had headed towards the tower all day. It was starting to look hopeless. Just then, Sakura, Ino, and Choji heard a loud bang. They looked around to see the source but saw nothing. Then they heard two more.

"Over there," called out Choji. "Someone's shooting off flares in that direction."

"Are they TRYING to attract attention to themselves?" asking Ino in disbelief.

"They might be," replied Sakura. "We're down to the wire now. They may be in the same situation as us. We're in a desperate place, too desperate for us to not go and check this out."

"What if it's a trap?" asked Ino.

"So what if it is?" replied Choji. "Five hours. This could be our last chance. Let's go."

---

In the woods about half a kilometer away from the tower, a group of three Grass ninja was shooting off flares. They'd had nothing but bad luck since the moment they'd set foot in the Forest of Death. Now they were desperate enough to try and bring someone to them.

One was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Only his eyes and mouth were exposed. The second kid had bushy eyebrows and spiky black hair. The third was a girl with a long, blonde ponytail. They were older. All looked about nineteen.

The girl fired off the last of their flares. The three sat back and waited. They didn't have to wait very long.

"Alright, we can hear you!" called out the mummy kid. "Come on out."

Sakura, Ino, and Choji emerged from the woods nearby.

"What kind of scroll do you have?" demanded the mummy kid.

"You tell us first," replied Sakura.

"What do you say we put all our cards on the table at once?" said the girl. "On the count of three, each team shows their scroll. Agreed?" Sakura nodded. "One, two, THREE!"

The Grass team had a Heaven Scroll.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves," said the spiky haired kid. "We are members of the infamous Fire Tribe of the Village Hidden in the Grass. It's the strongest clan in the village and the village leader is a member. The three of us are constantly used for less profitable C-ranked missions. Hundreds of them. We haven't had a chance to take the exam since we were twelve. Guess we're a little rusty. No one with an Earth Scroll has come our way. I'd say you three are in the same boat."

"Pretty much," admitted Sakura.

"Then I'd say our only option is to fight for one another's scrolls," he replied. "We can do this anyway you want. Pick the terms. It's fine by us."

"Can we confer amongst ourselves for a moment?"

"Of course."

Sakura, Ino, and Choji talked amongst themselves. Finally, they turned back to their opponents.

"One of you versus one of us, same rules as an exam match. Death or forfeit wins it. No proctor to stop it. We roll a die to determine the combatants."

"Very well… wait, what the…"

Everyone looked up to the treetops. An ANBU agent was seated in the limb of a tree watching them.

"Don't mind me," he called down. "I'm not here to interfere in any way. We were just making rounds of the forest to see who was left. You are the last two teams left alive that are still out here."

"Who made it?" called out Sakura.

"I can't tell you that," he replied. "All I can tell you is that there are four teams assembled in the tower. As soon as one of you teams enters with both scrolls, the competition is over. Provided of course a team makes it intact and within the time limit. Shouldn't be a problem."

"Well then, let's do this," said the mummy kid.

"Care to inspect our dice?" asked Ino.

"We'll trust you," he replied. "Let's roll."

The die was rolled and Sakura and the spiky haired kid were chosen to represent their teams.

"I assure you, we in the Fire Tribe don't forfeit for anything. You want the scroll, you'll have to kill me for it."

"Say when," replied Sakura.

"When."

Immediately Sakura tossed a kunai. He dodged it but there was another one in its shadow with a tag wrapped around the handle. The blast knocked him down. Sakura leaped into the air, gathered chakra in her fist, and prepared to finish him off. He rolled away at the last possible second. She hit the ground hard and caused some serious damage to it. Everyone present was impressed including the ANBU who hadn't left the tree yet. He wanted to watch the fight.

The Grass kid began forming hand signs. Sakura recognized the pattern immediately.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Sakura dodged the various fireballs with some difficulty and then charged at him once more. The kid responded by grabbing two kunai and slamming them into the ground. This was something Sakura hadn't seen before. A second later, a huge fireball shot upwards out of the ground right where she had just been standing an instant ago. She just barely dodged it. She threw herself backwards in anticipation of a second one. As expected, another ball of flame shot out of the ground.

Sakura spit out two poison senbon while she was jumping. The kid saw them coming.

"Fire Style: Fire Lash!"

He hadn't used a hand sign! But a long whip made of pure fire emerged from a kunai he was holding. He easily nailed the senbon with it. He tried to lash Sakura several times but she was very fast and very agile. He tried one more time and seemed to nail her but it was a substitution. The real Sakura emerged behind him with a drawn kunai. He managed to avoid getting stabbed but she smacked his wrist hard with her other hand and knocked his kunai loose. The second it lost contact with his hand, the lash disappeared.

"Mi! Hitsuji! Saru! I! Uma! Tora! Fire Style: Great Fireball Release!"

Sakura knew how to deal with this one too. She slammed the ground hard and the wind that it kicked up deflected the fire. The ANBU watched with concern. He had thought that Great Fireball was strictly a Leaf technique. He wasn't thrilled to see another village using it.

---

The Waterfall Sensei entered the assembly hall. No one could help but notice him. He was seven feet, two inches tall. He wore no shirt under his ninja vest. Everyone could see his enormous biceps. Everyone wondered if that was the reason for the lack of sleeves.

He walked over to the group of adults.

"Greetings, Lady Hokage. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Tsunade looked him over. "I don't believe I've met you before, have I?"

"Hashirama Tonko of the Waterfall. I believe that's the same first name as your grandfather. If that's not a good omen, I don't know what is."

This guy came across like a used car salesman. Already Tsunade felt he was insincere and disliked him but didn't show it.

"Your team made it here relatively unscathed," she replied. "They're over there."

Baki had kept silent up until now. He had even less reason to like this guy. Gaara had told him what his team had done in the forest. Now he decided to speak.

"Yes, speaking of your team, I was wondering…"

"Yeah, wonderful, aren't they?" he interrupted. "Best bunch of rookie Genin I've ever had the pleasure of working with. That masked boy is Nobuo, the girl is Michiko, and the brown haired boy is Osamu. Great kids, I tell you. Well, you have to excuse me for a moment, while I go confer with my team." He walked away.

"Yeah, great bunch of kids," muttered Tsunade. "Great bunch of kids who killed my cousin's grandson along with an Akimichi."

"And attacked my team with no cause," added Baki.

They all waited. After a few minutes, Kakashi walked over.

"OK," said Tsunade. "Did you read his lips while he was talking to his team?"

"I did," he replied. "He smiled the whole time as did they but his question to them was 'What went wrong out there?' and they made excuses. Then without ever losing his smile he threatened to kill their families if they didn't accomplish their goal. He made no mention of what that goal was."

"Great," muttered Tsunade angrily. "Can't we hold just one of these without something like this going on?"

---

Sakura and her opponent were still going at it. Now they were starting to get a little tired. The battle had been intense. Suddenly the Grass kid whipped into a series of hand signs Sakura had never seen before. It was odd because the pattern used the "Saru" symbol five times in a row at one point. She'd never heard of a seal that did that. Suddenly blue flame sprouted from his hands.

He raced at Sakura. She slammed the ground again but he easily avoided it. Within moments, she found herself running away from him. All of the sudden she stopped dead and ducked down. His momentum sent him crashing over her and falling to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Sakura nailed him in the chest with a Chakra Scalpel before he could get up. The boy coughed up some blood. He was still alive.

The mummy kid ran in right away.

"We give! Take the scroll! Just don't let him die like this. That was medical ninjutsu you just used. That means you can save him too, can't you?"

Sakura nodded. She signaled to Ino and the two healed his wound. They helped him to his feet.

"You're making me look bad," he muttered to the mummy kid. "I said no surrender, didn't I?"

The Grass girl handed Sakura the scroll. "You guys are young still. We've been a team for eight years now. When you trust your life to the same people day in and day out for eight years… well it just matters, you know what I mean?"

"I think I understand," she replied. "I hope you three make it next time."

"Heh. If we're even available next time. Took us years to get a break in our schedule to take it again."

With that, the three of them disappeared back into the woods and headed back to the gate they used to enter. The ANBU descended from his perch.

"Well, that's everyone. What do you say we head back to the tower? Still plenty of time left."

"Ino, could you please heal my hands a little?" asked Sakura. They were badly bruised and swollen from all the ground punching she had been doing.

Ino sighed. "When this is over, we're buying you some sturdy gloves. Your hands are a mess."

---

"Well, look who's here," said Shikamaru with a smirk as Sakura, Ino, and Choji walked into the hall. "Thought maybe you guys had killed each other out there."

Neji walked over. "Choji, I need to speak with you privately for a moment."

Tsunade looked over the group of Genin. "Well, just one question remains. Do we hold a preliminary round right now to cut the number in half?"

The proctors and sensei talked it over. All except Asuma. He was looking over at the conversation that Choji and Neji were having. He could see Choji getting upset and his face turning red.

"Uh oh, um… Lady Tsunade…"

"Just a second, Asuma. As I was saying…"

"Lady Tsunade!"

"What is it?"

All of the sudden from across the room…

"YOU BASTARDS!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Neji tried to restrain Choji but he was easily thrown aside like a rag doll. Choji shot like a torpedo straight towards the Waterfall team. He had one hand in his pocket reaching for the Red Chili Pepper Pill. He was ready to kill all three of them and nobody was close enough to stop him.

At the last moment, Shikamaru's shadow snagged him. However, Choji was struggling so hard that Shikamaru was having severe trouble holding him. Thankfully it bought just enough time. Within seconds, Kakashi, Gai, Lee, and Sakura were holding him back.

"You sons of bitches should die!" he hollered furiously.

"Sorry about your cousin," replied Michiko. "But we were just doing what we were supposed to."

Choji broke down sobbing. "How am I going to tell his parents? How am I going to tell MY parents? They were crazy about that kid. So was I."

Shikamaru walked up. "It's OK, let him go. Come on Choji. Let's go talk somewhere." He lead Choji away and attempted to comfort him.

"Lady Tsunade," said Asuma. "May I suggest we not do any matches today? There are only fifteen. We could stretch out the matches for two days in the arena if need be."

"Damn right we're not doing any matches today," she replied.

Tsunade began to randomly draw names out of a hat to plan out the rounds of fights to come.

"OK, listen up everyone. I have come up with the pairings. Look up to the electronic board for fight assignments."

The board read as follows:

FIRST ROUND

Match 1-Gaara vs. Osamu

Match 2-Shino vs. Michiko

Match 3-Ten Ten vs. Kiba

Match 4-Lee vs. BYE

Match 5-Choji vs. Kankuro

Match 6-Hinata vs. Ino

Match 7-Temari vs. Neji

Match 8-Sakura vs. Nobuo

QUARTERFINALS

Match 1-Winner FR1 vs. Winner FR2

Match 2-Winner FR3 vs. Lee

Match 3-Winner FR5 vs. Winner FR6

Match 4-Winner FR7 vs. Winner FR8

SEMIFINALS

Match 1-Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF2

Match 2-Winner QF3 vs. Winner QF4

FINALS

Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2

"A bye?" whined Lee. "I do not want a bye."

"I have to go last?" moaned Sakura.

"No complaints," said Tsunade. "The first round and quarterfinals will be held one month from today. The semifinals and finals will be held the next day. All of you had better train hard. I don't want any of you training together either. You'll be relying on the element of surprise here. As always, it's how you prove yourself, and not whether you win that determines whether the Feudal Lords will promote you."

Shikamaru lead Choji back in. He had calmed down a little.

"I have something to say," he said. "I'm making Chunin this year no matter what it takes. I swear it on my life. For Hajime."

"That's the spirit," replied Tsunade with a grin. "Good luck to all of you. You are dismissed."

Baki approached his team. "Alright, you guys are all winners. You proved it time and time again to our village. And now you're going to prove it to the world. Shigeru will be training Gaara. Kankuro, you will be with Yura as usual. Temari is with me."

"Sensei, about what happened…"

"Yes, Gaara. We all need to keep our eyes wide open."

Author's note: This chapter is dedicated in loving memory to Connor Simko. He too was 10 years old, he too was someone's son, cousin, and nephew. And he too was loved and will be missed terribly.

End Chapter 8

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hajime's funeral had a large turnout. All of Choji's Genin friends attended as well as the Sand team. Tsunade and Shizune came as well. Choji's father, Choza, was taking it very hard. Inoichi and Skikaku each kept a hand on one of his shoulders the whole time.

Hiashi Hyuaga stood a few feet away with Hanabi, Hinata, and Neji.

"I'm just so glad the three of you made it out alive," he said softly. "Not that I doubt your abilities. You have the Hyuga fight within you. But no one wants to go through this. No one should ever outlive a child."

The funeral ended and everyone went their separate ways. Grief-stricken or not, they had to get ready. Asuma was headed home when he sensed someone behind him. He turned around and to his surprise, Neji was following him.

"Oh, hey there. Didn't see you there. Did you need something?"

"Yes. I want you to train me."

Asuma was surprised.

"I thought your uncle would be doing that."

"I told him to train Hinata," replied Neji. "It will do wonders for her self-esteem. But more importantly, I need your specific skills. I know Choji is being trained by his family, Ino by Shizune, and Sakura by Lady Tsunade. That leaves you available."

"But what do you need from me?" asked Asuma.

"You're a wind user. So is my first round opponent. She's one of the most powerful Genin in the tournament and what's worse is that she's a long-range fighter. I'm a wind type myself but I have very little experience putting it into practice. I need your help or I'll lose."

"Alright," replied Asuma. "I'll have to see what you're capable of before we start."

---

"I know what you're going to tell me, Gai Sensei," moaned Ten Ten. "You're training Lee so I'm stuck. Probably end up with Ebisu or someone like that."

"No, Ten Ten, not at all," he replied. "While Ebisu is a qualified teacher, a fighter of your talents needs a proportionally talented sensei. And if that sensei happens to have expertise with weapons, even better."

"So who did you get?"

Gai smiled. "I obtained the one Jonin in the entire village who can keep up with my level of skill. My lifelong rival in all things. Except he's late as usual."

Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke behind him. "Sorry I'm late. I was contemplating the sound of one hand clapping and lost track of time."

"It sounds like this," replied Gai as he clapped the fingers of his right hand against the palm.

"Ah. I see. Another one of life's mysteries solved and now I can sleep better at night. Are you ready, Ten Ten?"

"I guess so. Are you really a weapons expert like me, Kakashi Sensei? Or is Gai Sensei just calling in a favor?"

Kakashi responded by tossing a kunai at a crow one hundred meters away that was attacking a baby rabbit. He easily hit his target.

"Oh, a little of both, I guess," he replied.

---

"Well Kiba, I guess it's just you and me," said Kurenai. "Hinata's training with her father, Shino's doing the same with his. And yet you seem to have no particular desire to train with your own family."

"Can you blame me?" replied Kiba. "You know how terrifying my mom is. My sister's a way better teacher but if I even suggested working with her instead, my mom would have a fit. But she has no excuse for being upset about me training with my own sensei."

Kurenai laughed. "You're pretty whipped, aren't you?"

"Let's just say I lack strong male role models in my life. As such, 'whipped' becomes a condition necessary for survival."

"For the time being your survival depends on being able to defeat a couple of taijutsu experts," replied Kurenai. "Ten Ten and Lee are no slouches."

Kiba nodded. "If only I could use genjutsu this would be easier for both of us."

"Most shinobi can't. The figure I heard once was that only 35% are capable to any useful extent. But don't worry. It's certainly not my only area of expertise. We'll focus on how to use that canine-style taijutsu of yours to get through the first two rounds. After that, it'll get trickier."

---

"So what you're saying is that Ino's Chakra Scalpel cancelled out the Gentle Fist?" asked Tsunade.

"Sure looks like it," replied Sakura. "That might come in handy. There are two Hyugas in this tournament, after all."

"It might be a good defensive tool," admitted Tsunade. "But you and I are alike in that our best offensive asset is our ability to hit so incredibly hard. No hand signals involved, just one quick kill with no preparation and no time for an enemy to react. However, against a Hyuga, it may very well be just the ticket. Just to be safe, let's devote equal attention to everything. Taijustu, medical ninjutsu, even some genjutsu while we're at it. And of course our regular training on avoiding getting hit. That's especially important since so much is unknown about your first opponent."

---

"You're an odd one, Hinata," said Hiashi. "A water type. Whoever heard of a Hyuga with a water type? I don't even know how to teach what to do with that. I guess this explains a lot of the differences I've noticed in you over the years compared to the rest of us."

"But you can help me with taijutsu, can't you, Father?" she asked.

"Help? I can turn you into a wrecking machine if you can keep up with the training I'll give you. But I do want to take advantage of what you can do that the rest of us can't so that you can compensate for what you can't do. Your chakra element will affect all your jutsu. That includes taijutsu. That's why you can't use Heavenly Spin yet and maybe never will. We need a water expert to supplement your training."

"Is there any water source in the stadium?" she asked.

"I'll talk to a geologist and find out if there are any underground sources beneath the competition area. Maybe they aren't frozen. I won't spare any resources here. It won't be just your reputation on the line here, Hinata. Once it becomes known that I'm training you personally, my reputation will be affected too. So like I said, I will spare no resource because you MUST pass. I know that will put pressure on you, won't it?"

"Um… yes," replied Hinata.

"Good. You need to learn how to deal with that too. You'll be better off for it."

---

"Hit that thing faster, Ino!" hollered Shizune.

Ino was swinging at a speed bag as rapidly as she could.

"You can't rely on what you told me," continued Shizune. "You can't assume you'll be able to use Chakra Scalpel effectively against a Hyuga. If chakra points get shut off, all you'll have to rely on are your muscles and your fighting skill. And don't even think about using that Mind Switch thing at any point in the tournament. It won't help you."

"Ugh, sometimes I think my clan's kekkei genkai is the worst in the village," she replied.

"It has it's uses," replied Shizune. "But in one-on-one combat, it will get you nowhere."

"Oh, don't tell my dad I said that. Please."

"My lips are sealed," promised Shizune.

---

"So, more Usagi?" asked Temari.

"Maybe later," said Baki. "I want to work on your wind control a wee bit. Let me see that fan a second." Temari handed it to him. Baki picked up a stone and tossed it in the air. He was able to keep it in the air and have it change directions several times. "If you can do that one thing, you won't be lacking much."

"Except maybe that Wind Sword technique of yours," she replied.

"This is more important. This fundamental stuff. You make Jonin and I promise to teach you that. But poor fundamentals will be the undoing of any ninja."

Temari tossed up a rock and tried it. It came crashing down. "Hmm… good point."

---

"And what do you think you're doing?" asked Shikaku.

"I think that cloud looks a little like a poodle," said Shikamaru with a grin.

"Isn't there something more constructive that should be occupying your time?"

"Dad, I memorized the tournament rulebook backwards and forwards. Ask me anything. I'm ready at a moment's notice."

Shikaku smiled and shook his head. "It never even occurred to you that I might be talking about training. But hey, since you're not in this thing as a competitor I guess you can forego that kind of thing from now on, eh? I guess you're already perfect because you already made Chunin."

"You sound like a dork when you get sarcastic," replied Shikamaru. "I guess a jog to get the blood pumping to the old brain wouldn't hurt."

"Not what I had in mind. Son, how'd you like to learn the Shadow Sewing jutsu?"

"The what?"

"Oh boy, do I ever have a good one to show you this time, Shikamaru."

---

"I wish there was time to make a swordsman out of you," said Kakashi. "If weapons are your forte, you must expand beyond projectiles."

"Tell me about it," replied Ten Ten. "That match against Temari was so embarrassing I wanted to crawl in a hole and die."

"It's a shame that Hayate's gone. Now there was a guy who could handle a sword like a pro. No one could touch that guy when it came to fencing. Not even me, and I was ANBU. But in your case I think we'll try focusing on the nunchaku. Also we should focus on using a kunai in hand-to-hand combat rather than throwing it."

"Got it," she replied. "So no target practice for the seasoned pro, eh?"

"We might," said Kakashi. "If we do, it's be trick throws though. Straight up projectile tosses telegraph way too much and everyone who knows anything about you will be expecting it."

---

With Lee and Gai there was no discussion. They had known for months how to approach each and every single one of these fights and now it was straight up sparring and training. The two were amazing to watch. For all their quirks, they were very dedicated and talented. Their styles matched so closely and they were so used to one another that when they sparred, it was rare for either of them to land a blow. Lee never felt inferior around Gai. He knew Gai was just as incapable of using genjutsu as he was and that while he was capable of ninjutsu, he had no expertise in it. He had achieved exactly what Lee had his eye on: a taijutsu-only elite ninja. Someone who felt, thought, and experienced everything he did. This time, win or lose, Lee was going to show the world what he was made of.

---

"What you do with those puppets is impressive," admitted Yura. "But a decent puppet master typically has a larger collection."

"Granny Chiyo always said that quality matters more than quantity," replied Kankuro. "So I decided to pour all my efforts into just a few."

"Um, Kankuro, she did say that but she also has twelve puppets."

"Oh." Kankuro felt embarrassed.

"Most Jonin level puppet masters carry five," continued Yura. "But that's where the quality ends. Usually they have one or maybe two good ones in their collection and the rest are crap. If you could master three at a good level of quality for each, I think you'd do better than any of them. That's why I have a surprise for you."

"And it's not even my birthday," said Kankuro with a grin.

"Smartass," muttered Yura. He yanked out a scroll and summoned another puppet. "We never told you but we found the third and final piece from Sasori's stalker collection. Kankuro, meet Salamander."

Kankuro was stunned. "Where did you find this?"

"There was a hidden passage in Sasori's old house no one knew about. The current owner just discovered this recently. It's attack abilities are limited. It can bite and hit with its tail and possibly use its claws. But defensively, this thing is beyond belief. We're going to have loads of fun learning how to use this bad boy!"

---

Shino winced slightly as he pricked his fingers with a kunai. His father pulled out a large scroll, and opened it.

"Just put your handprint and fingerprints here and sign your name in blood right here." Shino did as he was told. "Now you have access to the summonings of the Aburame clan. Some of the gigantic bugs summoned from this scroll are older than the Hidden Leaf itself."

"Hope they don't slow down with age," remarked Shino.

"Not a chance," replied his father. Just then the oldest bug's name disappeared from the scroll. "OK, maybe a slight chance."

"Great."

"Well that oldest one wasn't very strong anyway. What is of greater concern though is this: we are going to train you to carry way more insects than usual."

"How come?" asked Shino.

"In a word: Gaara. He'll be your second round opponent and a massive cloud of insects might just be able to give his sand a run for its money. We'll specifically use beetles found in the desert in addition to our normal arsenal."

"OK, but they better all play nice with each other. I don't want any beetle brawls inside my body."

---

Choji struggled as he tried to pull a sled loaded with heavy rocks up a steep hill. His combat training for the day was done. But he just had to keep going. Stopping meant thinking. Thinking was bad. Too painful. Just had to keep moving. Had to make good on his word.

Suddenly the rope broke. Choji hollered angrily as the sled flew back down the hill and crashed into a tree, breaking it. Choji ran down to the bottom of the hill and surveyed the wreck. All of the sudden he snapped.

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he punched the rocks until his hands bled.

Suddenly he felt someone grab him and stop him from what he was doing. It was Choza. He yanked Choji to his feet and looked him in the eye. Choji broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably again. Choza wrapped his arms around him and held him tight.

"I know. I know son. It hurts."

"He didn't belong there," sobbed Choji. "If we'd just taken that damn scroll away from him he'd still be alive."

"And if a frog had wings it wouldn't bump its ass so much. Choji, he's not dead because of you. Nobody is blaming you. Not your aunt and uncle, not me, not anyone. It just happened. This is a dangerous profession and if there weren't so many sociopathic assholes with power in the world we could live in peace and we wouldn't have to bury so many people we love. But that's just not how it is, and that's that."

Choji was silent for a moment. "Isn't this exam business sociopathic? Kids fighting to the death?"

"We've never found a way around it," replied Choza. "How else can you figure out if someone has what it takes to make it as a Chunin? If you can figure out an answer to that, believe me, there's no lack of worried parents that would hear you out. But in the meantime, people's lives are riding on the suitability of a ninja to handle his assignments and protect his team. Without quality ninja, political systems fall and people live as slaves to evil tyrants."

"My little cousin's life was the price of freedom. Well that's just wonderful. What a world."

"What a world indeed," replied Choza. "Let's get those hands of yours fixed up. Your mother's under enough stress as it is without worrying about you injuring yourself training. Then let's get home. She'll have supper on by then. And do try to keep one thing in mind. The object is not kids killing each other. Not here. It can and does happen but the test is supposed to measure skill and ability. Keep that in mind as you prepare."

---

"Have you felt the Shukaku's presence at all lately, Gaara?"

"Not particularly," he replied.

Shigeru and Gaara were perched on the roof of a tall building near the Leaf Hospital. Gaara was trying to create small hands of sand and then make them stack checkers without knocking them over.

"I want you to take as much conscious control over the sand as possible," said Shigeru. "Don't let it act on its own. It's not your mother protecting you at that point. It's the demon. You want to put as much distance as possible between yourself and that thing inside of you."

"Easier said than done," replied Gaara. "If I tried to sleep without a sealing circle, he'd come out in all his glory. I don't feel him at all when I'm mellow and wide awake. Fortunately, I've felt both for a while now."

"That's what worries me. Gaara, you may not always feel that way. The day may come when we have to seal that thing completely. When that happens, there's no way of knowing if you'll be able to use sand anymore."

"If that happened, I'd deal with it and learn how to do something else," he replied. "Are you trying to worry me?"

"I'm sorry," said Shigeru. "It must seem that way. I have a ton of things on my mind and perhaps I'm letting my own worry get the best of me. It's just that people are expecting so much out of you. And until recently you had so much sorrow. I'm glad to see this change in you. I just want to see it last."

Gaara looked at him and smiled. "It will. Sit down. I'm going to tell you about someone I know who permanently changed my life. You may as well know about this person now. Because someday he will be Hokage of this village and thus become important to us and to the entire ninja world."

End Chapter 9

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

February 6th had come at last. The day was unusually warm for February. The village was packed to the gills with visitors. Now Tsunade understood the tension Sarutobi must have gone through six months ago. Lots of people and a credible threat on her hands. Now she could understand why he hadn't expelled the Sound. The wasn't any real evidence. In this case too she would have been accused of fixing the competition in favor of the Leaf if she expelled the Waterfall team. It made her nervous beyond belief. The ANBU were told in no uncertain terms to be aware of the Waterfall shinobi and even their fans.

These things always attracted enormous crowds from all over the shinobi world. No doubt there were enemies of the Leaf disguised and hiding amongst the spectators to spy on the young talent. For all they knew, Orochimaru himself could be there. Or an Akatsuki member. The stadium was packed. It was designed to hold about 14,000 spectators. It had to accommodate a wee bit more than that. More like 16,000.

Sakura was in the ladies locker room splashing cold water on her face. She was struggling not to throw up. In the mirror, she could see Ino standing behind her.

"Don't freak out," teased Ino. "I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"I don't care about the fights," she replied. "I just don't like being the center of attention in front of all those thousands of people. And this past month, I've received no less than ten death threats in the mail each day. Either 'win or I'll kill you' or 'take a dive or I'll kill you'. Damn gamblers."

"Yeah, Shikamaru's gotten about ten times more," said Ino. "Someone even tried to have him disqualified as proctor because he took Temari to a movie. The Hokage personally guaranteed his integrity."

Hinata was sitting by herself on a bench trying very hard not to let all this get to her. Her father had driven her like a slave for the past month. If the training didn't pay off, she feared he might write her off entirely. She wished Naruto were here. Him talking to her may have made her nervous. But him rooting for her would have made her strong as a lion. But if he had shown up… The unthinkable occurred to her. What if she had to fight him? Suddenly she was relieved that he wasn't going to be there.

Shizune walked into the locker room and had a had a look at the six girls who were about to put it all on the line. She wouldn't have relived the experience of the exam for all the money in the world. She knew what it was like.

"Ladies, it's time."

---

The crowd rose to its feet and applauded as the Feudal Lords for all the lands not in direct conflict the Hidden Leaf were brought in and introduced. They took their places in the judges box. Next, Shikamaru was introduced as proctor.

"And now," called out the announcer, "the moment we've all been waiting for. This year's Genin combatants."

All fifteen fighters were marched into the arena by Shizune and Kakashi. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Osamu wasn't paying much attention to the crowd. His eyes were on his master. And his gaze spoke volumes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. We politely remind you that anyone caught trying to interfere with the competition in any way will be ejected and possibly prosecuted. We now begin our first match of the day which will be between Gaara of the Hidden Sand Village and Osamu of the Hidden Waterfall Village. All other competitors, please take your place in the participant box."

"Kick his ass, Gaara," said Kankuro as he left to take his seat.

Shikamaru called both fighters to the center. "All right, you know the rules. This goes on until one of you dies or forfeits. For the safety of the competitors, I reserve the right to stop the match at any time and declare a winner if it's clear that one of you is beaten and in danger of being killed. On my mark, get ready… FIGHT!"

Quick as a flash, Osamu leaped backwards putting about ninety feet between him and Gaara. He formed a short series of hand signs then took a deep breath with two fingers by his mouth. Gaara knew a fire jutsu was coming. But everyone was astounded by the flame. It was white hot, moved extremely fast, and was enormous in size and duration. Gaara put his sand shield up. When the flame subsided he was in for quite a surprise. The sand had melted down and as it hardened, it had formed glass. This was quite a fire technique. In fact it seemed it was second only to Amaterasu.

Gaara quickly summoned sand from his gourd and sent it flying toward Osamu. The boy reacted with a few more hand signs and by the time the sand reached him, he was surrounded by a rotating sphere of white hot flame. The kid was good. Gaara was more intrigued than intimidated.

Osamu was making another series of hand signs. He slapped the ground twice. From the spots he slapped emerged two enormous panthers made entirely of flame. The panthers raced over towards Gaara. One leaped at him from the left, the other from the right. He jumped out of the way at the last second. They collided and dissipated.

"Wow," remarked Temari. "Gaara usually doesn't move much in battle. This kid is something else."

Osamu used the same hand seals again but this time slapped the ground eight times. Eight oxen made of flame appeared at once. Dodging was out of the question. Blocking them with sand was out too. Gaara showed no signs of fear as Osamu released them.

Gaara produced a massive amount of sand and created eight sand clones. They charged at the oncoming oxen. Sure, these would be melted as well. What Osamu didn't realized was that Gaara had place paper bombs on these clones. The flame lit the bombs and the explosion dissipated all the oxen.

Without giving Osamu any chance to react, Gaara started turning the ground itself into sand. He sent a moderate-sized Sand Tsunami in Osamu's direction. At the same time he used the Quicksand technique so that the ground beneath Osamu would try to swallow him up. The wall of sand was as tall as a house. Osamu gave it everything he had and melted it. But to his shock, Gaara was nowhere to be seen.

BOOM!

Gaara came flying out of the sandy ground in front of him and decked him with all his might. For a moment, Osamu blacked out. When he hit the ground, it jarred him awake again. Gaara wasted no time running over to where he had landed and put a kunai to his throat.

"Surrender," said Gaara. "It's over."

"Damn right it is," replied Osamu with a grin. He pulled open his shirt to reveal he was covered in paper bombs. "See you in hell."

BANG!

When the smoke cleared, Gaara was still alive. He had used the Shield of Shukaku technique to save himself. Physically he was unharmed. Emotionally he was a train wreck. It was like reliving Yashamaru all over again. Once again, someone wanted him dead so badly that they were willing to sacrifice their own life in order to do it.

The spectators could scarcely believe it either. The only sound you could hear was people talking to each other about it. No shouts or applause or anything.

"The winner is Gaara," announced Shikamaru. He glanced up to the participant's balcony and signaled Kankuro to come down. Gaara hadn't moved one inch. Kankuro ran over to Gaara's side immediately.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

Though Gaara wasn't hurt, Kankuro helped him off as if he were. When the two got within the confines of the stairwell, Gaara broke down crying.

"People are blind sometimes," said Kankuro. "Blind and stupid. You can't do anything about that. All any of us can do is to be our own personal best. Obviously these guys are up to something. Don't take it personally."

At that exact moment Michiko walked by to start her match. She flashed Gaara a dirty look and kept right on walking.

"I dare you to eyeball my brother like that again, bitch," said Kankuro angrily.

She ignored him completely and kept right on walking.

"Kankuro, just let it go," muttered Gaara.

---

Shino and Michiko entered the field. The shouts for Shino were quite loud. He was the day's first Leaf competitor. They walked to the middle and faced each other. Shino was almost amused to see yet another competitor giving him such a smug look. People like that were just asking to be knocked down a peg. He'd certainly humiliated more than a few cocky opponents in his time.

"Begin," said Shikamaru.

Immediately, Shino raised his arms and a swarm of beetles much larger than what he normally produced came forth. The girl hadn't moved or made a hand sign. She just stood there with her arms folded and a smug expression. Shino sent his massive cloud of bugs straight at her.

ZAP!

Every bug that came at her found itself electrocuted when it came within one foot. She had still not moved. The girl was like a human bug zapper. Now for the first time, Shino was worried.

"Like my kekkei genkai?" she asked.

Kekkei genkai? So that's why she didn't need to use a hand sign. She put her right index and middle finger together and pointed them at Shino. "Taser!"

An electrical current shot from Michiko's fingers and hit Shino. He went down like a ton of bricks. She tried to hit him again before he had a chance to get up but he rolled away. Shino noticed that the attack had a short range. The current was only about three feet long.

ZAP!

Michiko hadn't noticed the desert beetles that Shino had been saving for Gaara coming out of the ground behind her. It made no difference. They suffered the same fate when they came within a foot. The girl seemed to have an absolute defense against bugs.

Shino leaped back and bit one finger.

"Summoning: Giant Beetle!"

A beetle the size of a large van appeared. Shino hated to use this so early but he reasoned that even if he ruined the element of surprise and lost to Gaara as a result, he could still make Chunin if he put up a good fight in this match.

He hopped onto the bug's back and it took flight. The bug began to spit insect venom in spurts down at Michiko. She easily dodged. It was when he tried to dive bomb her that he and quite a few other people were in for a horrible shock. He could see her forming hand seals but didn't recognize the pattern. Little did he or anyone else know that she'd been spying on Kakashi while he had been doing a little training during the thirty days between exams.

"Chidori!"

Kakashi nearly swallowed his tongue. She hadn't performed the technique well but she did it well enough to slice through the underside of the beetle. Shino was flung off and landed on his face. The dying beetle disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Shikamaru, I give."

"Winner: Michiko"

Shino picked himself up, brushed himself off and walked back to the stairwell. He was met by Kiba who was on his way down for his own match.

"What the hell happened?" asked Kiba.

"I lost," replied Shino.

"Yes, I can see that. I can't for the life of me figure out how."

"Well there was no way I could get her with my insects. And taijutsu was out. That Taser was far more painful than it looked. And if she was capable of using Chidori, that's something I just wasn't willing to mess with. Anyway, good luck to you."

"Thanks," replied Kiba. He walked down the stairs to the field.

Shino continued up the stairs. He looked up and at the top of the stairs was his father.

"Sorry about the big beetle, dad," he said. "I guess we need to breed some bugs that can resist…"

"Never mind that," interrupted Shibi. "Are you alright?"

"It still stings pretty bad from that Taser but otherwise I'm OK."

"That's what matters. I'm proud of you. You fought well and displayed good judgment in knowing when to stop and not letting your pride get the best of you. Now let's get you checked out by a medic. I just want to make doubly sure you're alright."

---

Kurenai sat down next to Kakashi in the stands.

"You look as white as a ghost," she said.

"I still can't believe what I just saw," he said. "How on earth did she pick that up?"

"She's a lightning type," replied Kurenai. "Even someone without a Sharingan can copy a technique that goes along with their own chakra nature if they can memorize the hand seals."

"But when…"

"Oh look, my trainee versus yours," interrupted Kurenai. "I wonder who's going to take this one."

"Hate to disappoint you but Ten Ten has this one in the bag," he said.

"Care to place a wager on that?"

"Fine by me. What terms?"

Kurenai grinned. "She wins and I cook all your meals for a week. He wins, you paint my apartment."

"You got yourself a bet," said Kakashi.

---

Ten Ten stood face-to-face with Kiba and Akamaru.

"That mutt pees on me and you're paying my dry cleaning," she threatened.

"Oh that's just his way of saying hello," said Kiba with a grin.

"You two ready?" asked Shikamaru. They both nodded. "FIGHT!"

Akamaru wasted no time jumping onto Kiba's back and transforming into a duplicate of Kiba.

"Ready, boy? Fang Over Fang!"

Ten Ten jumped back and they hit the ground where she'd just been standing.

BANG!

No one had noticed her place a paper bomb on that spot. The explosion sent Kiba and Akamaru flying twenty feet in opposite directions. Akamaru's transformation dissipated as he hit the ground. Ten Ten whipped out a set of nunchaku and raced over to where Kiba had landed.

Though he'd had the wind knocked out of him badly, he had no time to recover. He yanked out a kunai to try to block her but she shattered the blade with her weapon. Kiba had to dodge this way and that to avoid getting hit. All of the sudden, Ten Ten noticed her weapon seemed heavy. She looked and Akamaru had jumped up and latched onto it with his teeth. Kiba jumped up and punched her and sent her flying backwards.

"Let's try it again, Akamaru!"

"Arf!"

Akamaru transformed once again.

"Fang Over Fang!"

Ten Ten tossed a barrage of shuriken but they were easily deflected by the technique and she got hit head-on. Though she was battered, she wasn't finished just yet. She began to form hand signs. All of the sudden, a huge, black square-shaped seal with Chinese characters appeared on the ground. Kiba and Akamaru were standing in the middle of the seal. She yanked out one of her weapon summoning scrolls and opened it. She set it face-down on the perimeter of the square closest to her. The square and the characters within it glowed.

Before Kiba had a chance to wonder what was going on, a shuriken shot out of the ground one inch from where he was standing. Then another a few inches from that. And another. Next thing he knew, shuriken were flying all over the place. He and Akamaru did their best to dodge them but realized they couldn't avoid them all by mere evasion.

"Fang Over Fang!"

Once again he was able to deflect the weapons. But this had been what Ten Ten had been waiting for. She pulled out another scroll and summoned a bow and arrow. The barrage had been a distraction. She fired an arrow with a paper bomb attached.

BANG!

This time Kiba was hurt. He'd received a bad flesh wound to his left thigh. He struggled to his feet.

Kakashi turned toward Kurenai. "I like my eggplant just lightly salted."

"It's not over yet," she said.

Kiba motioned for Akamaru. "OK boy, you know what we've been planning for. Let's do it. Tunneling Fang!"

The two of them dug into the earth. A moment later they flew out at Ten Ten but missed. She dodged them and jumped back. They tried it again but got the same result. They didn't give up. Time after time they kept using Tunneling Fang and she kept dodging. The field was starting to look like Swiss cheese from all the holes they'd dug. It got to the point where they were going in and out of holes they'd already dug.

Once more, the two flew out of a hole and she dodged.

BAM!

Ten Ten was hit on the head from behind and knocked out. Akamaru and a regular clone had come out of that last hole but the real Kiba had not. He'd concealed himself in another hole and when she got too close he'd jumped out and surprised her.

"Winner: Kiba!"

"I like my paint latex, light blue preferably," said Kurenai with a grin.

Kiba wasn't doing any celebrating. He'd lost a great deal of blood from his leg wound and collapsed to the ground. The medics came out to attend to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the announcer , "We will need to take a short break in order to fill the holes in the field left from the last match. We thank you for your patience. Please be sure to visit the concession stand brought to you by Ichiraku's. Whenever visiting the Land of Fire, think Ichiraku, the first name in ramen."

End Chapter 10

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I'm sorry we're late, Baki."

"Oh, not at all. Please be seated, gentlemen."

Baki had invited three major petroleum investors who were having trouble with rogue shinobi. The deserts in the Land of Wind contained a few rich oilfields. Greed had spurred violence. Now Baki was trying to make a good impression on these men so that they'd consider hiring the Sand.

"It appears we missed Gaara's match," said one of them.

"Regrettably, yes, you did. It was quite amazing. I took the liberty of filming it for you. But now you're just in time to watch Kankuro and later on, Temari. Those should be uncommonly interesting matches."

"And why is that?"

"Because of what they have in common with their opponents," answered Baki. "Temari and Kankuro each killed a Sound Jonin last year during some regrettable business where we came to the aid of this village. But the interesting thing is that the two boys they'll be fighting did the same. If anyone discusses the defeat of the infamous Sound Four, that is what they're referring to."

"Four Genin who killed four Jonin? That's astonishing!"

---

Kankuro and Choji entered the field. The grounds keepers had worked fast. They'd filled up the holes Kiba had left within thirty minutes. Choji noticed with some surprise that Kankuro wasn't carrying any puppets on his back. Instead he now had three red scrolls.

"Thanks for coming to the funeral," said Choji.

Kankuro looked over at him. "Yeah… well… least we could do."

"I don't really care who wins this match," said Choji. "All that matters to me is that the judges see what I'm made of. I know Hajime's watching too."

The two came to the center.

"Alright gentlemen, are we ready to go?" asked Shikamaru.

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Alright then. If I call the fight at any point, you stop immediately. FIGHT!"

Without hesitation, Kankuro summoned Crow and Ant. Choji took off his headband and tossed it to a confused Shikamaru. He made some hand signs that Kankuro did not recognize. His hair started to grow.

"Whatever that is, I'd better stop it before he uses it," thought Kankuro to himself.

The mouths of both puppets opened. In rapid-fire succession, they launched Kunai at Choji. Choji whipped out a kunai of his own and deflected them. No sooner had he hit the last one than the limb joints opened on the puppets and they fired poison-coated senbon at him. Choji made one more hand seal and suddenly his hair looked fuller. He whipped it around and used it to deflect the senbon.

Choji took this opportunity to go on the offensive. He raced at Kankuro with palms aglow with chakra. He tossed both puppets aside like toys. Kankuro looked terrified. Choji hit him in the gut and he went down and did not rise. Something wasn't right. Too easy. Kankuro's neck suddenly moved with a very familiar clicking sound. It wasn't Kankuro at all, but Crow. He'd traded places with the puppet without being noticed. In this form, Crow only had four limbs like a human. Kankuro was holding its other two arms. It wrapped the two arms it did have around Choji and tried to squish him like a grape. No good.

"Expansion Justu!

Choji filled out and Crow's arms couldn't keep up. He made a hand sign. In a puff of smoke some wires with kunai attached to them appeared around his frame.

"Spiked Human Bullet Tank!"

He tried to run over Kankuro. Kankuro in turn, opened Ant's torso and jumped inside. The puppet proved to be more agile than Kankuro himself. Now if that thing had been sent after Usagi, it would have been no contest.

After a few failed passes, Choji gave up and returned to his normal size. He removed the spiked wires. But instead of putting them away, he swung them around like a whip and tried to nail Ant. The torso opened. Kankuro jumped out and tossed Crow's extra limbs back to the puppet. Choji managed to chop off Ant's legs with his lash but it was futile. They reattached immediately. The two puppets turned on him. Ant used its fists and serrated blades to try to hit him. Crow came flying up clicking loudly to join the fray. It opened its mouth again. Choji was expecting more kunai. But to his horror, it launched gas bombs at him. When he jumped back to avoid inhaling the deadly gas, Ant appeared behind him and trapped him in its torso. Ant was made of flexible material. Expansion wouldn't destroy it. Kankuro detached Crow's limbs, unfolded the detached blades and prepared for the kill.

BANG!

The noise was so loud and so sudden that it startled the daylights out of everyone in the stadium. Choji had taken the Green Pill. He punched straight through the torso doors of Ant.

"Damn," whined Kankuro. "That'll take me hours to repair."

Asuma watched from the stands with concern. He could tell what Choji had done.

"I hope that's the only pill he takes," he said to himself. He knew how determined Choji was and how likely he would be to risk his own safety.

Kankuro tugged hard on the chakra strings. To his horror, he realized that shards of the torso had jammed themselves into the limb joints. Ant was totally out of commission. And now a Green Pill-enriched Choji was coming his way. This was bad.

"Alright, rookie. Time to show me what you can do."

Kankuro yanked out his last scroll and summoned Salamander. Just in time too. Choji had almost reached him. He positioned the puppet between himself and Choji. The frill shot up and when Choji tried to punch it there was no effect.

Immediately, Choji had to jump back to avoid Crow which was now holding a sai in each of its hands. To everyone's amazement, Kankuro opened the back of Salamander and hopped inside. For a moment, Crow didn't move. Suddenly, the mouth of Salamander opened. Chakra strings emerged and attached themselves to Crow again.

"Controlling one puppet from inside another," muttered Asuma. "Damn this kid's good."

Crow attacked Choji. It tossed two of the sai only to have them blocked with that hair technique again. The other two arms began to rotate rapidly. Choji was essentially staring down a pair of buzz saws. He wasn't sure how to defend this. The fact that Crow could take to the air and fly made it tougher.

Take to the air?

Wait… Salamander didn't seem able to do that. At least not with Kankuro inside of it.

Choji reached for a Yellow Pill.

"No!" hollered Asuma. "Don't do it!"

Too late. His power skyrocketed.

"Partial Expansion!"

Choji hit the ground with his enlarged fists as hard as he could. The seismic wave he created knocked Salamander on its side and temporarily caused a disconnection between Kankuro and Crow. Choji wasted no time running over to the fallen Salamander. He grabbed it by the tail and swung it around in the air several times before letting it go. It flew through the air. No one was quite sure where it landed but it certainly wasn't inside the stadium.

People looked at each other in confusion. Was this a knockout?

Shikamaru was a wee bit confused himself. This situation hadn't come up in the rule book he had read. For all he knew, Kankuro could be right outside the stadium and ready to fight at a moment's notice. He made a signal with his left hand.

"The proctor has just signaled that he defers to the judges," said the announcer.

Choji grabbed his chest in pain. He knew he couldn't go on if the match was not over. He'd pushed himself too far.

"Are you OK?" asked Shikamaru.

"Ask me again after they've handed down a decision," he said with a moan.

"The judges have reached a verdict," said the announcer. "By unanimous decision the bout is declared to be over and Choji is declared to be the winner."

"Alright," said Shikamaru. "Now, they've handed down their decision. Are you OK? Choji? Choji!"

Choji collapsed. Asuma and Choza both raced down towards the competition area. They reached him about the same time as Shizune and the medics.

"Is he alright?" asked Asuma.

"He will be," replied Shizune. "But I can't allow him to continue any further in the tournament. He needs to be hospitalized for a couple of days. He's severely strained his heart muscle."

"Thank God he didn't take the Red Pill," said Choza. "I know this is a dumb question but do you really have to disqualify him? He has his heart so set on making Chunin."

"The next round is in just a few hours," she said. "That's just too soon. And if he ended up facing Hinata that could be lethal. He couldn't handle getting hit with Gentle Fist in this condition. Even if he doesn't fight any further, he could still be promoted. Let's just hope he impressed the judges."

"Dad?" Choji muttered weakly.

"I'm right here, son."

"I did my best."

"I know you did. I'm so proud of you I could burst. I love you, son."

"Here," said Shikamaru. He returned Choji's headband. "What's a Chunin-to-be without his Leaf headband?"

The crowd bust into thunderous applause as Choji was carried out on a stretcher.

---

"Well Baki, I didn't believe it at first but now I can see how those boys could have taken on a Jonin and been victorious."

Baki smiled. He was glad they weren't the least bit put off by Kankuro's loss. Just then a medic approached Baki.

"Sir, we found Kankuro. He has a concussion, some bruised ribs and a broken arm. They're taking him over to the Leaf Hospital."

"I can't get away right now," he replied. "Tell him I'll be by this evening. And find Shigeru. I want him to personally take charge of his treatment. Kankuro trusts him."

"So we still get to see one more, eh?" asked one of the investors.

"Yes," replied Baki. "Temari. Next to Gaara, she's the strongest Genin in the village. She's up against the top Leaf Genin. Neji Hyuga. Absolute prodigy. This will be one hell of a match."

Just then the announcer came back on. "Now ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for our next competitors: Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuga!"

"Did he just say 'Hyuga'?" asked an investor.

"Neji's cousin," replied Baki. "Not as good as he is but this will give you a sneak preview of what is to come."

---

Hinata kept her head up and her arms at her side as she had been instructed by Hiashi. She didn't dare look up into the stands. She could feel his eyes on her. She was nervous but at the same time so eager that she could hardly contain herself. Ino on the other hand just wanted one thing: to beat her so at some point she could have that rematch with Sakura she'd been longing for.

"Both ready?" asked Shikamaru? "FIGHT!"

Hinata activated her Byakugan at once. She put up her hands in striking formation and began to move her feet like a boxer. She wanted to keep herself slightly to one side in case Ino tried any mind techniques.

Ino quickly formed the hand seals for Mystical Palm. She adjusted the polarity from the green Healing Jutsu to the blue Chakra Scalpel. The two circled each other for a few moments. Ino made the first move as she tried to swipe at Hinata's arm only to have to jump back in order to avoid Hinata nailing her right in the chest. Ino thrust with her left but missed again. Hinata ducked it and swung at her midsection. Ino blocked with a right. The impact of the opposing forces pushed both girls backwards. Both stumbled back a few steps.

Ino recovered first and tried a roundhouse kick which Hinata ducked under. Hinata tried to aim at Ino's leg which was still on the ground but she jumped over her like a stag. Ino shot her leg out behind her upon landing and hit Hinata in the back of the thigh. Hinata tumbled face down onto the ground. Ino sprang at her and thrust down with her Chakra Scalpel. Big mistake.

"AH!"

Hinata had easily avoided her hand and hit Ino in the gut with Gentle Fist. Ino coughed up blood. She immediately jumped back and reversed the polarity on her hands so as to heal herself. Hinata got back to her feet. The two circled each other. Ino kept one hand to her stomach as she continued to heal herself and kept a kunai in the other. She was in somewhat of a vulnerable position but Hinata knew she could still inflict a lethal injury if she made a bad move.

"I just sealed off five of your chakra points," said Hinata. "Mystical Palm will not heal that."

"Yeah because my gut needs chakra the most," mocked Ino. She was trying to act tough but she could feel a slight slowing in the flow of chakra through her body. She had stopped the bleeding. She once again reversed the polarity in her hands and attacked. Hinata avoided every last strike.

Hinata jumped back a few feet. Ino came leaping at her again. Yet another terrible mistake on her part.

"Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Ino got tossed backwards a good dozen feet. She looked like the front of her body had just been flogged. She struggled back to her feet. She was starting to realize something about Hinata. The girl was patient. She was fast, agile, and hadn't made a reckless move or rushed in blindly to attack during the entire fight. Was it even possible to get close enough to land any sort of finishing blow on a Hyuga? Only if you happened to be a Hyuga yourself. Ino had to laugh at Shizune's suggestion about straight up taijutsu. No chance. The girl would knock her into the middle of next month. Long range seemed to be her only chance.

She jumped back and threw a handful of shuriken in a pattern where they could not be dodged. This forced Hinata to use her Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms once again. Ino watched the movements of her hands for any patterns. She threw a second barrage and waited for just the right moment.

"Prepared Needle Shot!"

Shizune had lent her weapon to Ino. Just to be doubly sure she made contact, she also spit out an additional two poison senbon from her mouth. Hinata desperately tried to block all of them but Ino had been a shrewd analyst of her movements. One of the needles got her in the jaw.

Hinata stumbled back a step. Her vision was getting hazy even with the Byakugan. Her movements were more sluggish. She felt very tired.

"Gotcha! You're mine now!"

Ino charged in. Even in her condition, Hinata could still avoid the Chakra Scalpels coming at her. Her arms felt like lead. She threw them up and their hands made contact, knocking Hinata on her back and causing Ino to stumble back a couple of feet.

Ino wisely resisted the urge to dive on her while she was down. Hinata struggled back up to her feet. Ino came in to attack again. All of the sudden Hinata dived down with her legs in the side split position and nailed Ino's thighs with Gentle Fist. Ino fell over. Hinata wasted no time. Not foolish enough to go for something vital and have to contend with Ino's hands while she was in this condition, she nailed every chakra point in her shins and knees. She struggled back to her feet.

Ino struggled to get up but her legs didn't want to cooperate. She made one more attempt…

"Gentle Fist!"

In Ino's eagerness to rise she had used both her hands to aid her. Hinata had seen an opening and nailed her right below her left breast. Ino crashed to the ground and did not even attempt to rise.

"Winner: Hinata!" called out Shikamaru.

Hinata was about ready to fall over herself but she struggled to remain on her feet. Shizune ran over with more medics.

"I guess you kids are going to keep us busy today," she said. "Someone inject her with the antidote!"

One of the medics told Hinata to take off her parka. He gave her a shot in the arm of some blue chemical. Within seconds she could feel the effects of the poison wearing off.

"You may feel an odd taste in your mouth for the rest of the day," he warned.

Shizune examined Ino.

"It's her lung," she said at last. "We can't wait. We have to heal her right now."

Tsunade pulled off the Hokage robes and jumped down into the field.

"Lady Hokage you don't have to… do this…"

"Don't talk, Ino," she replied. "You're bleeding inside from a vital spot. Shizune, go fetch some oxygen! Ino, if you'd stayed patient and alert this might not have happened."

Hinata stood by and watched. She looked up in the stands and could see her father talking to some buddies of his. She was certain that he was bragging that he taught her to do that. It made her sick.

"I suppose I should learn not to feel guilty for winning," she thought to herself. "If I get freaked out every time I injure someone in a fight I'll never make it as a ninja. But him I can't stomach. I wish Naruto would come back, marry me, and take me away from it all."

She was brought back to reality by a medic asking her to step aside so they could transport Ino.

"Is she OK?" asked Hinata.

"She's stable," replied Tsunade. "She'll need surgery, though."

"Hey… kid…"

Hinata looked to see Ino speaking.

"Keep that oxygen mask on!" ordered Tsunade.

"I just… wanted to say… you really can fight."

"So can you," replied Hinata.

"Yeah… sure beat… the hell out of the ground… with my face."

End Chapter 11

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment many of you have been waiting for all day has arrived. The next match: Temari of the Sand vs. Neji Hyuga.

---

"That boy has the most intense look I've ever seen in my life, Baki."

Baki grinned. "This one is more typical of the Hyuga Clan than that girl you just saw. Her style differs a lot from the rest of the clan but this guy is straight up power and speed. And Temari is all about precision and control. This will be one for the record books."

---

Asuma took a glance up at Hiashi in his seat. He had that same somewhat intense but still slightly disinterested look as always. But Asuma could tell he wanted Neji to win so badly that he could practically taste it.

"That man's a fool," he said to Kurenai who had just joined him. "I mean, he does love those three kids, anyone can see that. But he manages to make all of them feel isolated too. He'll show love but then it's all 'Neji, you're branch', 'Hinata, you're weak', 'Hanabi, you're tough but you'll end up branch some day so you aren't worth my time'."

"His version of tough love I guess," she replied. "Crock of shit if you ask me."

"Those three kids bring something magnificent to the table as fighters and as human beings," he grumbled. "I'd give anything to have kids like that and I sure as hell wouldn't take them for granted."

"Well if you want kids so badly…"

"Shh…"

Kurenai laughed. "OK, I'll behave. I imagine Temari probably had it even worse. The Fourth Kazekage had a reputation as being the worst parent who ever lived."

Asuma lit a cigarette and sighed sadly. "You know, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I had a good dad but we were too busy sweating the small stuff all those years to see the real value in each other. Well, let's see if I fare better as a sensei than as a son."

---

Neji walked onto the field with his face set like iron. It wasn't all the eyes on him, not even the all-important eyes of his uncle that mattered. It was the two eyes that weren't there that mattered most. Naruto.

One thing among many that he'd learned about himself from Naruto was that he too was desperately seeking recognition. This was ironic, him being the best Genin in the village but he'd spent his life overcompensating for the situation he'd been born into. This realization had improved his friendship with Lee dramatically. Now he was going to put that desire aside. He was going to fight like a champion and recognize himself.

---

They both headed for the center. If Temari had anything in particular on her mind she sure didn't show it. She'd almost always kept a very casual attitude about fighting. She had a great deal of self-confidence and believed in her heart of hearts that the judges would have to be blind not to realize that she was Chunin level already. And Neji was a close distance fighter which gave her the advantage. So she didn't seem particularly interested. She was even chewing gum.

"I might be more likely to stop this one," warned Shikamaru. "You two use some pretty deadly techniques. Are you both ready?" They nodded. "FIGHT!"

At once Temari leaped back trying to put distance between herself and Neji. She looked surprised to see that he'd stayed still and let her do so. He merely took up his normal fighting pose and waited for her to make a move.

"What's he up to?" she wondered. "He can't possibly hit me from that distance."

She opened up her fan and let loose a damaging, chakra-packed blast of wind. Neji turned his palms perpendicular and…

WHOOSH!

Asuma had to smile now. Neji had actually cut the wind in half with his elemental chakra. Temari was impressed but not the least bit phased. She leaned back and sent off another gust. Neji did the same thing but this time she kept control of some of it after he made the cut. She sent it back in his direction.

"Heavenly Spin!"

"Interesting technique," remarked Temari. "You know, maybe I should try something like that." She threw herself into a rotation of her own sending damaging chakra in all directions. Neji was impressed at her technique. She had never tried it before but she was doing it perfectly. She even moved her head the same way ice skaters and dancers do to keep from getting dizzy. It had taken him three months to perfect that. He countered with Empty Palm but it was not enough to return the blast to its source. She repeated this attack three more times from slightly different positions but it was no good.

"Stalemate," she muttered. "I'll never get him this way."

Neji didn't give her much time to think. He was good at reading people's faces and he could tell she was trying to size him up and strategize. He tossed some shuriken forcing her to deflect. And while she was occupied with that, he managed to close the distance between them before she noticed. She sent several wind blasts his way in an effort to drive him back. It was a failed effort but it prevented him from getting closer.

"Ow."

Temari put her hand on her leg and it came back bloody. For the first time noticed that the shuriken attack had not been completely unsuccessful. She had a gash on her thigh. It wasn't at all serious but she didn't waste one moment to take advantage of the situation. Before Neji realized what she was up to, she smeared the blood from her hand onto her fan and swung it.

"Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance!"

Kamatari the weasel appeared riding an air current. It flew at Neji at a speed that could literally be considered blinding. For anyone else, that move may well have been deadly. The weasel carried a scythe blade and moved too quickly for the human eye to pick up. A Sharingan would be able to track it but surely not a Byakugan?

Neji couldn't see the weasel itself but no matter where it moved it left a chakra trail. With Neji having 360 degrees of vision, it could not conceal its presence and when it tried to attack, it was easily blocked.

"Damn!" growled Temari angrily. She'd just wasted a major trump card. She watched in dismay as Kamatari was struck in the leg with Gentle Fist on its second attempt. It got frustrated and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The realization was starting to set in that she was more helpless to attack than he was. Try as she might, there just wasn't any possible way to hit him from a distance. But with those eyes and deadly taijutsu of his, getting close and landing a blow seemed impossible.

But if he couldn't see…

"Dust Wind Technique!"

Neji didn't lose his balance but his hands went to his eyes at once. It was now or never. Temari closed her fan, sprinted towards Neji, and prepared to use it as a club.

"Gentle Fist!"

Temari's blow had missed his head and struck his shoulder. He had deflected it with one arm and nailed her in the gut with the other. She fell to her knees and coughed up blood. She was certain that she'd fractured his collar bone but she was in far worse shape. How on earth had he seen her coming?

She looked up and saw a curious thing. Neji had pulled his headband down over his eyes to protect them from the dust. Temari hadn't realized that he could see right through objects including the headband. Had she known more about the Byakugan, she wouldn't have made such a move.

"Shikamaru, I give," she said.

"Winner: Neji."

Neji fell to his knees in pain. A busted collar bone is no laughing matter. The medics easily healed Temari on the spot, but Neji would need X-rays before they could even begin. They'd have to work fast. Being the winner, he was due to fight again that day.

---

"Baki, we insist on a collaboration," said one of the investors with a smile.

"A collaboration?"

"We want all four of those kids working on this matter. Can it possibly be arranged? Or is it out of the question?"

"I think I can make it happen if both villages agree on a price and split the proceeds evenly," replied Baki.

"Consider yourself hired."

Baki grinned. "Best of both worlds I guess. Should make for an interesting mission. Are you gentlemen going to stick around for the rest of the tournament?"

The investors nodded. "Remember, we still haven't seen Gaara fight. If he's better than them maybe we'll pay a little extra to hire him too."

---

Neji winced in pain as the medics worked to heal the bone. They'd had to cut his shoulder open with a Chakra scalpel. They weren't as experienced as Shizune so their efforts at an anesthetic jutsu had not been completely successful. Now they were jamming actual calcium into the incision after having set the bone. The calcium bonded easily and the bone knitted. They used Healing Jutsu to regenerate everything they'd cut open and then finally undid the half-assed anesthetic.

"How does it feel?" one of the asked.

"Sore," he admitted. He dropped down to do a couple push-ups. "Well, no sharp pain from that. Still sore though. Figure we should ice it?"

"I wouldn't," replied the medic. "You want it to stay loose. You have to fight again, remember?"

"Yeah, good idea. Come in, Hinata."

Hinata walked into the examining room. "I didn't realize you knew I was out in the hall," she said.

"I can see through walls," he replied. "What's up?" Hinata didn't answer right away. "Oh, I get it. Hey, um… medics? Think you could step out for a minute so I can talk to my cousin?"

"Sure thing."

"OK Hinata, what's up?"

"Neji, you don't still hate me, do you?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I was wrong in the first place to feel like that. The main family was not at fault and you certainly weren't the pampered brat that I thought you were. I suppose we should have sat down and talked about this but I was embarrassed and ashamed."

"So was I," said Hinata.

"I'll bet I know why you're bringing this up now," said Neji. "You know you're in the Semifinals no matter what because Choji dropped out and you know I might be your opponent." Hinata nodded weakly. "It won't be like last time. For one thing, you've narrowed the gap between us. Frankly I'm not completely sure I'll win. For another, really, truly, honestly, I don't hate you. As Naruto would say: believe it!"

---

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have for you the last match of the First Round. Nobuo of the Hidden Waterfall Village vs. Sakura Haruno of the Leaf."

Kakashi walked down to the first row and sat next to Kurenai and Asuma. "Well, this is it. The only one of my original students that I have left."

"Mind if I join you three?"

They looked up and to their shock it was Tsunade herself.

"Lady Hokage, shouldn't you be in your box seat?" asked Kurenai?

"And wearing the Hokage uniform?" added Asuma.

"I was freezing in that thing," she replied. "You can't wear winter clothes underneath it. Just not enough room. And the view is better down here anyway."

"Yes," said Kakashi. "I guess you and I came down here for the same reason. You know, I'm starting to understand how Iruka felt. You work with someone for a long time, next thing you know, they're someone else's pupil."

"Aww… are we feeling left out?" asked Tsunade in somewhat mocking yet somewhat sympathetic manner. "If it's any consolation I couldn't have gotten anywhere with her if she hadn't had such a good Jonin instructor."

"If that's supposed to be flattery, you suck at it," replied Kakashi gloomily.

---

Sakura and Nobuo walked onto the field. Sakura had an uncomfortable feeling about Nobuo. She couldn't see his face and that bothered her. His entire head was covered in a ninja mask and his eyes were covered by a tinted visor. He carried a sword on his back and several summoning scrolls around his waist. She pulled on her new gloves she'd just bought at Ino's suggestion and fastened her shuriken pouch.

Shikamaru directed the two towards the center. "Since I can't see your eyes, if you go down for more than few seconds, I have to assume you're unconscious," he said to Nobuo. The boy did not reply and Shikamaru didn't wait. "FIGHT!"

Nobuo wasted no time drawing his sword and attacking Sakura. She dodged him once, twice, and on the third time she caught the blade between her palms and didn't let go. Try as he might, Nobuo could not pry the sword loose from her grasp. Sakura was just too strong.

To Sakura's and everyone else's amazement, he smacked his own blade and broke it. At once, Sakura had to let go and jump back. The blade had a concealed vein of poison gas running through the middle of it. But that wasn't what surprised Sakura the most. What surprised her was that she could have sworn she'd seen his hand turn black before he struck the blade. What no one, not even Nobuo himself, was aware of was that he was the great-grandson of Kakazu. Had it been known, he might have been shunned in his village and possibly not allowed to become a ninja.

The poison had not worked. Sakura had not inhaled any and the quantity had been too small to be effective as a weapon. Sakura charged her fist with Chakra and lunged at Nobuo. To her shock, he blocked her easily with one hand. No doubt about it this time, his hand was black and not only that, it had turned harder than a diamond. He reached to his belt and pulled out one of the six scrolls he'd been carrying and opened it. His hand returned to a normal color. He pricked his thumb on a shard of the broken sword and applied the blood to the scroll.

All at once, six crocodiles wearing blue vests with the Waterfall symbol on the back appeared. For the first time that day, Shikamaru retreated to a safe distance. The crocodiles growled angrily.

One of them looked around. "What the heck? Winter? We're cold-blooded, dammit!"

"Master Nobuo, you haven't fed us in a while," another said. "There are laws against the neglect of animals, you know."

For the first time he spoke and his voice was very gruff. "Reptiles don't need to eat as often as mammals." They growled in response. "You want a meal, do you? Well there's one right in front of you. That girl."

Sakura was royally freaked out. "Had to be crocodiles," she muttered. "Not even alligators but actual crocodiles. Meanest reptiles out there."

The crocodiles glanced at her. "This girl is not enough of a meal for us. Too boney Hardly any meat on her."

Sakura was irate. "Hey I am so meaty… Wait, what am I saying? Shut up Sakura! Just shut up!"

They looked over at Shikamaru. "Now if we could eat him too that might be enough to fill us up."

At this, Shikamaru backed up even further.

"Forget about that for now," replied Nobuo. "Get her!" The largest of them lunged only to get its skull fractured by Sakura. It was dead. "Hmmm… she's tougher than she looks. Perhaps I'll give you boys an advantage." He opened the second of his scrolls. At once, a massive quantity of water emerged. Within seconds, the field was submerged underneath ten feet of water. Shikamaru had to climb up one of the walls. Sakura tried to rise to the surface and walk on the water but to her horror found that she could not. He'd charged it with some odd polarity of his own that prevented it. Of course he had no trouble standing on it himself.

"Thank goodness Asuma Sensei had us swim so much," she thought to herself. At once she activated the Chakra Scalpel and submerged. Crocodiles are fast swimmers. They can roll quickly and the muscles used to shut their jaws are very powerful. However, they have their vulnerabilities as well. The muscles used to open their jaws are weak. Their bellies are not particularly well armored either. Sakura used these weaknesses to her advantage. The first one to attack her found its jaw held shut between her legs. While she was restraining him, two more attacked with jaws wide open. Before they had a chance to snap them shut she'd reached in and struck the back of their throats with Chakra Scalpel, killing them. Then she broke the neck of the one she was holding. That left two more.

"Oh well, more meat for us," said one with a grin. They swam straight towards her but she easily dodged them. One, she sliced in the abdomen with Chakra Scalpel. Then she grabbed the other's tail with both hands. The surprised reptile found itself flung out of the water and into the stands. The crowd freaked out. Before the crocodile had a chance to do anything, it was surrounded and killed by ANBU in order to protect the spectators. This could not be construed as interference on their part.

Without a moment's hesitation, Nobuo opened another scroll and pointed it at the water. Sakura had picked that exact moment to jump out of the water and latch onto a wall. She'd seen the scroll and figured more crocodiles were coming. Wrong. A huge bolt of lightning emerged from the scroll and electrified the water. Nobuo chuckled to himself until he looked up and noticed that Sakura had escaped death. He tossed the scroll away in disappointment. The water began to disappear and in a matter of moments it was gone completely. The ground wasn't even muddy, just dry and cracked.

Sakura circulated as much Chakra through her body as she could to stay warm. The water had disappeared from her clothes as well but she was still cold. She guessed correctly that his scrolls were good only once. He went to open a fourth scroll and a massive blast of fire came forth. Sakura dodged it but once it hit the wall, the flames took the shape of horses. They charged after Sakura. In a blur of speed she appeared right in front of Nobuo.

"Won't work," he said. "You won't get my own attack to hit me."

"OK, then I'll just use my alternate plan," she replied. And with that she hit him in the gut too fast for him to respond with his black hands. At once the horses disappeared. His justsu had been disrupted. Hitting someone didn't only work with genjutsu. Some ninjutsu could be stopped in the same manner. This one hadn't used a hand sign. It relied on a scroll and the concentration of the user.

Sakura pulled a kunai and moved in for the kill. She slashed his chest and his head. Nobuo managed to leap back to avoid a fatal blow. As he did, his mask came off. Sakura couldn't help but think he was the freakiest looking kid she'd ever seen. At his young age his hair was already gray. He had the same ugly eyes as Kakuzu and he looked like he hadn't seen a dentist in about ten years.

"I liked you better with your face covered," mocked Sakura.

"Your whole body is about to be covered," he replied. He pulled out yet another scroll and pointed it at the ground. A green pulse of energy emerged and struck the ground. At once, two figures emerged from the earth. They looked like men but the proportions weren't quite the same. "Meet the dirt ogres. They'll bury your boney ass alive."

"OK, no more jokes about me being boney," growled Sakura.

"Oh, but you get to joke about me being ugly?" replied Nobuo. "Gentlemen, crush this hypocrite for me, will you?"

They didn't need to be told twice. The two advanced on Sakura without hesitation. They were slow, but powerful. And when Sakura charged her fist and tried to hit one she was in for a shock. Her fist got stuck inside of it and she couldn't pull it free.

"Hey, let go of me, you big walking turd!" she hollered angrily.

"They only respond to me," said Nobuo. "Finish her!"

The other ogre cocked back its arm to hit her. Sakura quickly discharged a massive amount of chakra that she'd been using to keep warm right through her caught fist. The ogre holding her turned to dust. Sakura jumped back to avoid the punch. She could see that Nobuo was already reaching for his last scroll and figured she'd better finish the other one fast. She reached into her pouch and pulled out an experiment she'd been working on. It was a kunai with a tag that would freeze an object. She tossed it at the other ogre and it struck it in the mid-section. The ogre froze in place. She punched it and reduced it to bits and pieces. The tag exploded letting loose Freon gas, forcing her to pack off. It still wasn't quite perfected yet.

Nobuo opened his last scroll. Sakura was too far away to hit him. She plowed her fist into the ground hoping to knock him over. She was concerned about the contents of that scroll. He'd been using various chakra element types and guessed correctly that this last one was wind. That concerned her. Unfortunately, all her punch had done was to create a massive crater and a massive cloud of dust. When the dust dissipated, he was still standing. He opened the scroll.

To everyone's amazement, when opened the scroll he pointed it upwards. An indescribable amount of wind shot straight up into the atmosphere. The day had been somewhat warm for winter but overcast. But now the clouds were blown away completely and the sun shined down on the stadium.

"Now you die," said Nobuo. He made a bunch of rapid hand signs and the appearance of his hands changed once again. They became completely reflective. "This is my primary jutsu. I've only been toying with you up until now. Solar Death!"

At once, a concentrated beam of sunlight shone from one of his hands and seemed to burn Sakura alive. But something wasn't right. Too much flame. A human body isn't that flammable. It was a log. A substitution! She'd done it when she punched the ground and kicked up dust. The real Sakura came flying out of the ground below and hit him in several places with her Chakra Scalpel. He went down like a ton of bricks.

"Winner: Sakura!" announced Shikamaru.

Without hesitation, Sakura reversed the polarity of her palms and began healing the damage she'd just done.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Nobuo. Sakura did not reply but kept at it. "Do you know how foolish you are? What if I was feeling vengeful? I could kill you right now."

"So could I," replied Sakura. "Now shut up and hold still or you really will die."

She was joined momentarily by Shizune and several other medics. The crowd applauded Sakura's act of sportsmanship.

---

Tsuande grinned.

"Kakashi, no sucking up this time because I take credit for all of what just happened out there."

"The credit goes to her," he replied. "In only a few short months, she's gone from feeling useless to putting up a spectacular performance like that. Picking up on that much technique in such a short time is almost unheard of for any shinobi."

"Can't disagree there," said Tsunade. "Something in her eyes when she asked to be my apprentice told me she was this serious. Eyes never lie, Kakashi."

---

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have just witnessed a spectacular first round of fighting. We ask that everyone please leave the stadium for the next three hours so that our groundskeepers and cleaning crews can do their jobs. You will find concession stands and portable toilets outside. When three hours time are up, we will begin the Quarterfinals. Please get your hands stamped for re-entry. Thank you!"

End Chapter 12

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Choji was lying in bed eating some hospital food. It wasn't half bad, actually. Lamb stew with rice mixed into it and mango pudding. Shikamaru had managed to sneak away to visit him.

"How are you feeling, Choji?" he asked.

"My chest still hurts and my chakra's depleted," answered Choji. "Gees, I think they overdid it a little with all this stuff." He was referring to the heart monitors that the doctors had attached to him.

"They want to make sure your heart's OK, son," said Choza from across the room. "You keep eating and get your strength back."

"Dad, I feel bad about you missing the rest of the tournament," said Choji. "You paid a lot for your ticket. Don't feel obligated to hang around here all day. If you want to go back and see the rest of it, it's totally fine by me."

"My place is here right now," replied Choza. "Besides, with you and Ino out, there's no other matches I'm really that interested in. Of course tomorrow's matches will be televised so if you feel like watching on TV, go ahead."

"Shikamaru, how's Ino doing?" asked Choji.

"She's in the room down the hall recovering from surgery," he replied. "They had to manually re-open some chakra points with senbon or she wouldn't have healed."

"Wow. Too bad I won't be able to avenge her loss. Fighting Hinata would have been interesting."

---

At that exact moment, Hinata was eating tempura with Neji and Hanabi. She was picking at her food and not eating much.

"Not hungry, eh?" asked Neji.

"The medic was right," replied Hinata. "I do have a funny taste in my mouth. The food tastes like rubbing alcohol."

"Tastes like ayu to me," replied Hanabi. She was quiet for a moment. "Neji, do you think I overreacted with that whole 'I don't want to be a ninja' thing?"

"Not necessarily," he replied. "First time out and you saw two teammates die."

"I feel like I owe it to those two to try again," she said.

"I think you also owe it to them to take things one day at a time," said Neji. "No shame in being a Genin for a while."

"I sure felt bad for Choji," said Hinata. "Actually I'm relieved not to be fighting him. I'd feel bad no matter what the outcome was."

"This line of work would be great if you didn't risk losing every single person you care about," said Neji sarcastically. Hinata and Hanabi nodded in agreement.

---

"One hour, forty-seven minutes and three seconds… One hour, forty-seven minutes and two seconds… One hour, forty-seven minutes and one second… "

"Lee, stop that, you're making me nervous," said Gai angrily.

"I cannot help it, Gai Sensei. I am so eager. I have not yet had a chance to fight and now I do. I cannot wait."

Gai smiled. "Lee, I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm. But I paid good money for these lobster tails here and I want to be able to enjoy them without you staring at the clock the whole time and driving me nuts. Now sit down and eat. You'll enjoy it more if you're calm."

"Understood, Gai Sensei," replied Lee. He whipped out his notebook. "Never spoil an opportunity for calm while eating. Got it."

Lee dug into his lobster and mushrooms eagerly.

---

Gaara sat alone in the stadium while the cleaning crews worked. Technically he wasn't supposed to be there but no one minded. Temari walked up to him.

"Aren't you going to take a meal break?" she asked.

"I already did," he replied. "I had some sort of meat on a stick from one of the concession stands between fights. I'm not even sure what I ate but I think it was some sort of fowl. Something that had feathers when it was alive, anyway."

"So are you just going to stand here all alone until the next round?"

Gaara sighed. "Temari, I have to fight another Waterfall kid. I don't like this. Something about this is weirder than we first thought."

"Well I've never seen a fighter go all kamikaze before," she replied.

"I have," said Gaara sadly.

"Don't think about him. He's dead. He's dead to us. Lousy snake."

"They're targeting me. The Waterfall. I don't know why, but they are."

"Well at least then you know what to expect from the girl you're fighting," replied Temari. "If these guys do have an agenda then they're fools for showing their hand in such an obvious manner. Just be ready for a dirty trick on her part and you should be fine."

"I'm trying not to take this personally but I do grow tired of it," said Gaara. "Not as though I can help what I am or do anything about it."

"Well you're winning over people back home," she said. "Nobody can make the whole world love them. But you're rising in the popularity poll relatively fast. Girls just can't resist a cute red-head, you know."

Gaara chuckled a little. "Sorry you and Kankuro lost. But I'm glad I won't have to fight one of you."

Just then Kankuro walked up.

"I'm sure my puppets are glad too," he said with a smirk. "I'd never get the sand out of their joints. As it is, I'll have to put in some big repairs in when we get home."

"Still in one piece after that little flight Choji gave you," said Gaara. "How are you feeling?"

"Bruised ribs are easy to heal," replied Kankuro. "Arm's in a cast. The concussion took about half an hour for them to fix. My head still hurts, though. I smacked it in two places."

"Then you should avoid those two places," said Gaara with a grin.

"Asshole," said Kankuro with an even bigger grin.

---

Thirty minutes before the fights were to resume, the crowds were allowed back in. A couple of Leaf Jonin put on a demonstration of trick kunai throwing to keep the crowds entertained while they awaited the Quarterfinals. Shino and Shibi sat down in the best seats they could find. Kurenai joined them.

"Glad to see you here to cheer on your teammate," she said. "Kiba's sure in for a rough match."

"Actually we're here to see Gaara kick the crap out of Michiko," replied Shino coldly.

"Oh."

"Of course Lee's reaction to getting peed on will be worth seeing too."

---

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to the Quarterfinals of this year's Chunin exams. First match is Gaara of the Sand vs. Michiko of the Waterfall."

The applause for Gaara was overwhelming. Gaara never even shot Michiko so much as a glance as the two headed for the field. Frankly at this point he could care less whether or not she wanted to be giving him dirty looks.

"You aren't planning on going boom like your teammate are you?" asked Shikamaru. "I wouldn't like that. Part of my job is to keep the fighters alive."

"Mind your own damn business!" replied Michiko.

"Watch it or I'll disqualify you," said Shikamaru angrily. He waited a moment. She didn't say anything else. "OK, are we going to keep our mouths shut and be respectful now?" Still no answer. "Good. FIGHT!"

Gaara surrounded himself in an orb of sand right away and activated the third eye. Michiko began making hand seals again.

"Chidori!"

She rammed her hand into the sand orb as hard as she could. Sasuke had managed to injure Gaara this way last year. But now that Gaara had seen this before, he knew how to counter it. He pushed himself against the back wall of the orb. When her hand entered, he gripped it with the sand as hard as he possibly could. With the Chidori activated he couldn't crush her hand but she couldn't get it in far enough to reach him either. Chidori can only be sustained for about twenty seconds. As soon as it fizzled out she immediately yanked her hand out and jumped back.

The orb dissipated and Gaara stared her down.

"That's an attack with a severe drain on one's chakra," he said calmly. "Sasuke Uchiha could only use it twice in one day. I wonder if you've reached your limit."

"I have no limits," she replied. "Taser!"

Gaara's shield immediately blocked the attack. Unfazed, Michiko tossed two kunai; one to Gaara's right, the other to his left. They both struck the wall and now Gaara could see that there were wires attached to them and that she was still holding the ends of the wires. He was standing between them. Immediately she pumped electrical energy into the wires. As soon as she did, some of the electricity shot from the wires and hit Gaara. He immediately ducked and rolled out of the way. He did not appear to be harmed. Michiko looked surprised.

"You forgot about this," said Gaara. He shed his damaged Sand Armor and made more by turning the ground into sand. "I think it's my turn. Prison Sand Burial!"

With that, Gaara slapped the earth. Michiko slowly began to sink. But to everyone's amazement, she managed to jump back out after being submerged up to her neck. No one could tell how. But to Gaara it was obvious. He saw the veins in her head standing up and guessed that she'd opened at least two chakra gates. Michiko began to make a massive number of hand signs. Gaara looked up and saw the sky darken. But the amazing thing was that it only darkened above the field. The sun was still shining on the people in the stands.

"Sand will only offer so much protection from electricity," she said. "Let's see how many of these you can sustain, shall we? ONE!"

With that an actual bolt of lightning shot down from the cloud. Gaara's shield barely had time to respond. Had he not realized what she was about to do, it likely would have hit him.

"TWO!"

A second bolt of lightning struck down right in front of Gaara, sending him flying backwards. He immediately formed a dome of sand around him.

"THREE!"

The dome had stood up to the bolt. It began to take the form of Shield of Shukaku.

"FOUR!"

The head was blasted off of the shield but re-formed. The shield was now complete.

"Won't work. FIVE!"

The head was blasted off once again and this time did not come back.

"SIX!"

The upper portion of the body was blown away.

"SEVEN!"

The rest of the shield was destroyed. But Gaara was nowhere to be seen.

"Hiding under ground are you?" called out Michiko. "That might protect you from lightning, but how long can you hold your breath?"

A hand made of sand shot out of the ground and grabbed her by the throat. Gaara re-emerged. "You reveal your own limitations by talking too much," he said. "A true shinobi can find the most subtle ways to get ventilation from the surface when he's underground."

"Chidori!"

Michiko's hands had been behind the arm of sand so Gaara hadn't seen her forming seals. She easily cut herself free. She was breathing hard. The storm cloud disappeared. Her gates had obviously closed.

"Oh, three chidori attempts in one day," mocked Gaara. "Very impressive."

"You're an ass, you know that?" said Michiko angrily.

"I'm not particularly interested in showing good manners to people who want me dead," he replied. "Assassin after assassin has wound up dead trying to kill me. Lucky for you I've grown more patient over time."

"Oh, you figured it out," said Michiko. "Smart boy. And here I'd heard that all Jinchuriki were mentally retarded." Here Gaara grew angry. "Oh you don't like that? As you can see I'm not particularly interested in showing you any manners either, jackass. If you knew what I knew you'd understand just how important it is for the future of the world that we eliminate as many…"

"Michiko, shut the hell up!" screamed Hashirama from the stands. She'd said too much.

Michiko consumed a food pill. "I really have to kill you now. It's the only way he'll forgive me for shooting off my mouth like that."

---

At the gate of the Leaf Village, two foreigners were trying to gain entry. Izumo and Kotetsu didn't seem eager to let them in.

"We need to see authorization papers stating that you've been cleared by security to come in and watch the tournament."

"I keep trying to tell you that we aren't here to see the tournament," replied one of the foreigners. "We're agents of the Hidden Waterfall Village Secret Police."

"I don't care if you're Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," replied Izumo. "We don't just let outside shinobi in here without a permit. If you're not here to watch the exams, that makes us even more suspicious."

"We're here to serve an arrest warrant," replied the police agent.

"And who might you be arresting?" asked Kotetsu. "If one of the spectators at the tournament is a criminal, you can imagine we want to know about it."

"Not spectators. Participants. The members of the Waterfall team and their sensei. We've uncovered evidence that they were involved in a recent murder in our village."

Kotetsu and Izumo looked stunned. Izumo pulled out a whistle and blew on it. Immediately an ANBU appeared.

"Summon the Hokage here at once!" he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

---

Michiko pulled out a scroll and summoned a trident. She sent her lightning chakra into the weapon and jammed it into the ground. Gaara was smart enough to jump up just before she did. The place where he'd just been standing was sizzling now.

"Desert Suspension!" Gaara floated up in the air on a cloud of sand. He fired a blast of sand at Michiko. It knocked her over and destroyed her weapon. "Three in one day. You really did overuse Chidori. And now the food pill hasn't restored enough chakra." He began knocking her silly by firing sand at will. She was helpless to stop him.

---

"Are you certain all three were involved?" asked Tsunade. "I don't mean to sound suspicious but tactics like bogus arrests have been used by gamblers before."

"My lady, I assure you, we found their fingerprints. Ninja hounds indentified their scent. Not only that, but their Jonin has on past occasions been caught with extremist literature in his possession and has been suspended from duty more than once."

Tsunade sighed. "Extremists, eh? Well that explains it. One of the Genin blew himself up in an attempt to kill Gaara of the Sand." She examined the warrant. "This is most definitely the genuine signature of the village leader. Alright, take some ANBU with you and do what you have to do. But be careful. There are several thousand spectators that we don't need injured."

---

Michiko tried to rise after being hit with one last blast of sand but her legs wouldn't work. She collapsed to the ground. Gaara kept his distance just in case she too tried to blow herself up.

"Winner: Gaara!" declared Shikamaru. The crowd rose to its feet and applauded. Hashirama looked angry. But a moment later he looked up and noticed two cops from his village and collection of ANBU headed his way.

"Michiko! They found us! Flee!"

With that, all three remaining members of the Waterfall team disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Find them!" hollered Tsunade. "I want them in custody today!"

Kurenai looked over at Shino. "We happy?"

"Oh very much so," he replied.

End Chapter 13

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. And obviously Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is someone else's creation though I neither know nor care whose. I'm a lazy, lazy man.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Uh… well folks, don't say we didn't give you your money's worth. By the way, on the off chance anyone sees one of those three that just fled, contact ANBU immediately. We continue our Quarterfinal matches with Rock Lee vs. Kiba Inuzuka, both of the Leaf."

Lee leaped off the balcony of the participants box onto the field and did several cartwheels in excitement. Gai found a seat next to Asuma. He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning. Asuma groaned.

"If I hear you say 'Fight with the power of youth!' even once, I swear I'm leaving," he warned.

"I can't help it sometimes," admitted Gai. "Having that boy is like having a son."

"I can see the family resemblance," said Asuma with a smirk.

---

Kiba strolled onto the field casually with a smirk. As good as Lee was, like most fighters he lacked any sort of visual jutsu. With the way Kiba and Akamaru moved, this would make it nearly impossible for Lee to block any technique of theirs. If he tried, he'd get slashed or bitten. And they could produce speed comparable to his. He walked to the middle and set Akamaru on the ground.

Shikamaru smirked. "The taijutsu clash of titans, eh? Wish I'd brought my camera. OK, are we both ready guys? FIGHT!"

BAM!

Lee hadn't waited even a moment. The second the fight started he nailed Kiba with Leaf Whirlwind and sent him flying. Akamaru barked angrily and tried to run over to where Kiba had landed but Lee grabbed him up by his collar..

"I think not, pooch," said Lee. "It is indeed most unwise to give an adversary an advantage in battle. I certainly do not intend to let Kiba use you to his advantage."

Kiba picked himself up. "Let him go, Lee! You mess with my dog, I'll bury you like a bone!"

Lee ignored him. "I think perhaps I will tie you to a tree using wires."

"I warned you," called out Kiba. He made a hand sign. At one, spikes emerged from Akamaru's dog collar. Lee dropped him in pain. Akamaru ran up alongside Kiba while Lee shook his injured hand angrily. "Man Beast Clone!" Akamaru transformed into a perfect copy of Kiba. "I'm not done just yet! Beast Mimicry: Four Legs Jutsu!" Kiba's appearance grew wilder and his chakra glowed.

"I would say you need a manicure," mocked Lee.

"I would say you're gonna need a doctor," answered Kiba. "Fang Over Fang!"

Lee tried to jump over the attack but Akamaru shifted directions at the last second and clawed him up. Lee fell to the ground. Kiba and Akamaru went for a second pass. Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ball. He tossed it in their direction. It hit the ground and exploding releasing green smoke. Kiba hollered.

"What is this?!" he shouted.

"It is a fart bomb!" replied Lee with a grin. "I am far too dignified to stoop to passing gas during a fight like Naruto."

Up in the stands, Gai was laughing so hard he could barely breath. "Way to learn from observing past fights, Lee!"

Lee grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Then he turned to Kiba. "Here I come, ready or not!"

He flew at Kiba at blinding speed. He kicked him in the midsection and tossed Akamaru over his shoulder. When Kiba tried to rise, Lee hit him with a barrage of punches, the last one of which was an uppercut that sent him flying into the air.

"And now to rip off yet another fighter's technique," said Lee with a grin. "Lion's Barrage!"

With a mighty kick Kiba was flung down onto the dirt below. He slowly and painfully picked himself up.

"We'll have to stick with Four Legs, boy. Even if it has a disadvantage, I don't see how we can beat him without a little boost. Ready? Fang Over Fang!"

They came at Lee from opposite sides. With blinding speed, Lee sidestepped them at the last possible moment and they collided. The two of them rose and shook the cobwebs out of their heads. They went for another pass. This time they used the same technique they had used with Ten Ten. Kiba tunneled while Akamaru attacked from overhead. Instead of dodging this time, Lee shot his hands out in an attempt to grab them in mid-spin. He successfully grabbed Akamaru's wrist but Kiba managed to claw him. Though slightly injured, Lee didn't lose his head for even a moment. Still holding Akamaru's wrist, he threw him headfirst directly at Kiba and the two crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks. When they tried to rise, Lee sprang forward and flung blood from his wound in their direction, hitting them in the eyes and temporarily blinding them. While they were blinded he kicked them both, sending them crashing into the wall.

Kiba rubbed his eyes. They'd hit so hard that Akamaru's transformation had been shattered. The two of them stumbled back to their feet.

"Akamaru, I think we have a problem here." Akamaru barked in agreement. "So far we've given him our best techniques and near as I can tell, he hasn't used any of his tricks at all. No chakra gates, no removing leg weights, no drunken fist. Either we think of something quick or we're screwed." Akamaru barked again. "Yeah, I thought of that, but he's too fast to hit with Dynamic Marking. Plus I think he'd literally kill us if we tried it and didn't take him out. He wouldn't like that." Akamaru barked one more time. "Now that you mention it… yeah, his blood does have a distinct aroma. OK, we'll focus on that. Inuzuka Man-Beast Combination Transformation: Two-Headed Wolf!"

In a roar and a puff of smoke, the enormous Double-Headed Wolf appeared in all of its glory. Lee was genuinely freaked out by it.

"Lee!" hollered Gai from the stands. "I know about that technique. It's blinded when it rotates so it uses scent to track you. Don't let it pee on you!"

"What?! Hey Kiba, you give me any golden showers and I swear I will neuter the pair of you with the dullest kunai I can find! It is a small village; you cannot hide from me!"

"No need for us to do any such thing," gloated Kiba. "You're ours now."

"Damn," muttered Shino from his seat. His reason for watching this match had just been taken away.

"Dual Wolf Fang!"

Kurenai looked at the technique and suddenly noticed something. "No Kiba, that's not…"

Too late. Lee had taken off his parka, wiped as much blood on it as he could and tossed it in the middle of the field. Kiba and Akamaru wasted the attack on a parka. Lee was no fool. If Kiba had declared that he didn't need Akamaru to pee on him, something else must have been giving off an odor and that something else must be blood.

"That is quite a vulnerability you have there," said Lee. "You should have planned out other ways to compensate for blindness if smell were to fail you."

Kiba panted hard. The only other way he knew of was sound. He could zero in on the sound of his opponent breathing but in a crowded stadium it wouldn't work. Besides that, even if the noise from the crowd wasn't there, he still would have trouble distinguishing between Lee's breathing and Shikamaru's.

"Damn," muttered Kiba. "If only he'd eaten something strong for lunch or not showered, or worn cologne, or anything at all. No strong scent at all from this guy. Boy, we'll try one more time. Go for a more subtle scent of blood and not the strongest one you smell. Dual Wolf Fang!"

Lee grinned and responded by tossing some more fart bombs.

"Gah!" screamed Kiba. The transformation was broken and he was left holding his nose in agony.

"I am cold without my parka so I will finish this now," announced Lee.

"Oh no you won't." Kiba swallowed a food pill. "Piercing Fang!"

Lee grinned. He waited until Kiba got close and then kicked up some dirt. The intention had been for the dirt to get in Kiba's eyes but it had backfired. Lee was hit straight on by the attack. Even while being hit, he never lost his head. He managed to wrap his legs around Kiba's midsection as the two of them flew through the air. Upon landing, Lee was quick to strike back. Akamaru was quick to jump to his master's defense but Lee swatted him away like a fly.

Lee perfectly executed another Leaf Whirlwind and sent Kiba flying into the air.

"Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!"

Lee appeared behind him in midair. "Surrender or it is a Lotus, Kiba!"

Kiba could hear Lee unwrapping his bandages and knew he meant business. He looked down at Akamaru who was struggling to stand only to fall upon his side. He knew he was beaten and that Lee had not really even begun to fight.

"Alright I give!"

"Winner: Rock Lee!" announced Shikamaru.

While Lee landed gracefully, Kiba hit the ground face-first. It really had been a relatively one-sided fight and he was glad that it was over. The medics ran onto the field to check the two out. Kiba rose slowly.

"I'm alright," he said. "Just a few nasty bruises and a badly bruised ego."

"I too am fine," said Lee. "In fact, I think will walk back to the stands on my hands."

Lee did just that. This got a massive laugh from the crowd. Not a mocking one but a generally amused laugh. Kiba sighed, picked up Akamaru and followed him. Gai met them both on the stairwell.

"You really both should have let them look you over," he said. "No serious injuries, but you two do need some minor medical attention. And the dog should get a checkup for sure."

"But Gai Sensei…"

"No buts," interrupted Gai. "Both of you go to the infirmary. And Lee, see if they can get you another coat. One more thing… well done."

---

Up in the stands, Hana Inuzuka stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Tsume.

"To see just how bad Akamaru got hurt," she replied. "I swear, that boy can't do anything without one or both of them ending up half dead."

"Well maybe if he'd trained with me instead of that floozy teacher of his…"

"Oh mother, not that again."

"Alright ladies and gentlemen," said the announcer, "Time for the last match of the day. This will determine who faces Hinata Hyuga in the Semifinals. Will it be Sakura Haruno or Neji Hyuga?"

In the infirmary they could hear the sounds of the announcer quite clearly.

"Wow, we could end up with a rematch of last year if Neji wins," said one of the medics. "That match between her and her cousin was amazing."

"It certainly was," agreed Lee.

"Not as amazing as you and Gaara, though."

Lee's eyes shot wide open. He'd completely forgotten. By defeating Kiba, he was scheduled to fight Gaara again. The images of getting his limbs crushed flashed back into his mind as clear as day. What if he received the same injury a second time? It would mean more life threatening surgery or an early retirement which he couldn't live with.

"Are you OK, Lee?" asked the medic. "You look awfully pale."

Lee fainted and fell off the examining table.

---

Neji and Sakura entered the field. Each was acutely aware of how bad the other could hurt them. They tried very hard not to look at one another. Sakura removed her headband from its normal position and tied it around her forehead in a more typical Leaf fashion as she had done while fighting Ino the year before. The message to Neji was clear. She was taking this very seriously.

"Are you both ready?" asked Shikamaru. "FIGHT!"

At once, Sakura's fist glowed with chakra. She took a swing at Neji with all her might. He blocked her with his two palms both charged with Gentle Fist. The two types of chakra collided cancelling each other out rather than repelling. The force of Sakura's punch sent Neji sliding back a few feet. Sakura whipped out a pair of kunai. She tossed one in Neji's direction. To his horror, he saw a tag attached and dodged to his left which is exactly where Sakura tossed the next one. Then, to everyone's amazement, she immediately tossed two more to her own right and left. Neji had no idea what was going on or why they hadn't exploded until he tried to back up.

ZAP!

Neji gritted his teeth in pain. In that moment, he'd let himself get distracted only to get kicked by Sakura. The kick sent him reeling and the next thing he knew he was getting zapped again. Those tags weren't paper bombs. Sakura had created an invisible force field in which she'd trapped them both. The kunai represented the corners of the field. Anything attempting to pass between any two of the kunai would get barbecued.

"I like to keep my friends close and my opponents even closer," said Sakura with a grin.

"You sure about this?" asked Neji. "I am after all a short-ranged specialist."

"One who would benefit from having more room to work with," replied Sakura.

With that, she launched another punch in his direction. But this time he saw it coming. He managed to snag her right wrist with one hand and nail her forearm with Gentle Fist with the other. Sakura yanked her arm back. She could see a big red spot where he'd closed a chakra point.

"That might make it difficult, if not impossible for you to continue," cautioned Neji. "You rely on chakra in your hands and you are right-handed."

"Still too cocky even now," scolded Sakura.

"Fine, you asked for it. Gentle Fist!" But Neji's blow never landed. Sakura tossed another tagged kunai into the ground directly in front of him and he slammed face-first into another force field. "Foolish girl, with this field between us, you can't attack me either."

"Since I'm the one who cast the jutsu, I can pick that thing up," she replied. "And I will. But first…"

Sakura yanked out a syringe. She injected herself in the forearm.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Neji. "Shikamaru, she can't do that, can she?"

"Depends what's in it," replied Shikamaru.

Sakura held up the shot so he could get a good look. "It's an anti-inflammatory," she explained. "Nothing in the rules against that. I checked. I'm not jabbing a senbon into one of my chakra points to re-open it. This will do the trick nicely and doesn't even have to make direct contact with the chakra point."

After a few moments the red sore disappeared on her arm. As promised, she yanked the kunai out of the ground. Neji didn't waste one moment.

"Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!"

Sakura was hit hard and knocked into her own force field. Neji raced over to finish her off only to get himself kicked in the gut hard enough to send him flying backwards into the force field as well. Sakura yanked a small sphere out of her pocket and tossed it in Neji's direction. It hit the ground and let off blue smoke. At first he mistook it for poison and his natural reaction was to cover his mouth and nose. Too late did he notice Sakura reaching for a lighter.

BANG!

The gas was flammable and ignited. Neji was lucky to get away with only first and a few second degree burns. He had to quickly pat out a small portion of his hair that had caught fire. Neji attempted to use Empty Palm but to his horror realized that rotation techniques couldn't be used now. The dome of chakra it gave off had a certain required circumference. The walls of the force field were too close and chakra could not penetrate them.

Neji chuckled to himself. "I have to hand it to you Sakura, you've gotten good. You've taken a few basic shinobi techniques and used them so effectively that I'm at a loss for words."

"I'm not much different from Lee I guess," she replied. "Nobody actually called me a failure but I sure called myself one."

"Why?" asked Neji.

"I had fundamentals down good but aside from that I had absolutely nothing to bring to the table in a fight. And I was teamed up with the best two Genin in the village which didn't help matters. Well I have to be my own ninja. That doesn't mean I have to pick up on a bunch of fancy crap like Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi Sensei. It means being the best I can be with the stuff that comes naturally to me. And I'll reserve my learning of highly advanced techniques for healing jutsu rather than fighting. The greatest skill of a medic-nin, aside from healing, is avoiding injury. I've trapped you in an enclosed space and managed to avoid any serious injury to myself the whole time we've been fighting. That's what I wanted to prove to the judges more than anything."

"True," replied Neji. "But you can't avoid me forever. Or win."

"Perhaps," she replied.

Her fists lit up with chakra again. The two raced towards each other and began trading rapid blows. Both had their feet firmly bonded to the ground by chakra. So far they'd blocked one another perfectly. Neji was being protected from a broken hand only by his offensive chakra. Nevertheless, both palms were badly bruised. The two swung at each other furiously for the good portion of a minute before Neji finally landed a hit to Sakura's mid-section.

"Oh crap!" hollered Sakura as she dropped to her knees. "You got my spleen. Shikamaru, I give. I need medical attention right away."

"Winner: Neji!"

The crowd rose to its feet and applauded loudly. Sakura released the force field jutsu. Try as she might she couldn't build up enough chakra to heal herself. She needn't have worried about it. Before Shizune ever got to her, Tsunade herself appeared in a puff of smoke.

"You didn't think I'd come down her for Ino, and not for you?" she said with a grin. She began healing Sakura. "You got any more of those injections? It would certainly help the healing process right about now." Sakura reached into her parka pocket and produced two more. Tsunade unzipped Sakura's coat and cut her top at the sight of the injury to administer the injections. "I'll buy you a new one, I swear. Just nothing gaudy. I want my apprentice looking good."

While Tsunade worked on Sakura, Shizune worked on Neji. The crowd was already filing out of the stadium not waiting for the announcer. One solitary figure remained in her seat. It was Hinata. Hiashi noticed she hadn't followed him and returned to get her.

"Come on, we have to get going."

For a moment, Hinata did not stir. Finally she spoke.

"Father, which one of us are you going to root for tomorrow?"

"You're putting me in a tough position asking me that," he replied. "I've trained both of you so I suppose my reputation is unaffected no matter who wins as long as neither of you chokes. As a family man I suppose my own daughter needs to come first to me. But you have to understand something. His father is dead because of me. I've tried to be like a second father to him ever since I told him the truth last year. I've tried to make him feel accepted and treated him in a like manner to a member of the main house. And there's not one main house technique he hasn't picked up on. He's the closest thing to a son I'll likely ever have. I'm tempted to stay home tomorrow to avoid this issue entirely."

"No," said Hinata, "Don't do that. I shouldn't have asked. I realize now you'll be cheering us both on. And that's OK with me. All I ever wanted was your recognition."

"Is that so?" He looked down upon the field. "Hey Neji! Hurry up and heal! I'm buying shrimp tonight for my two Semifinalists!"

End Chapter 14

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It was after midnight. Folks from out of town were heading back to their hotels. Businesses were closing for the night. Many had stayed open later to accommodate the crowds. Things were starting to settle down. In the Hyuga Clan compound, everyone had been in bed for a while. All except Hinata. Softly she crept out of her house and over to another small building with the Hyuga logo over the door. She entered silently. The room was full of books and scrolls put neatly into shelves. She walked over to a desk at the far end of the room and opened a drawer. She felt around until she found a false bottom and opened it. Inside was a small scroll. She stared at it for a moment, seeming to make up her mind whether or not to pick it up. Finally she picked it up, opened it, and quickly read the contents.

---

In another part of town, Gaara was wide awake as usual. He sat on the roof of the hotel where he was staying, watching other foreigners returning from bars in various states of sobriety and intoxication. He suddenly became aware that he was not alone. He looked behind him and saw Lee.

"Thank God it's only you," he said with relief.

"You were expecting someone else?" asked Lee.

Gaara nodded. "I keep expecting those assassins to come back. I guess these guys are dedicated to ridding the world of at least one Jinchuriki; the one they see as most unstable and therefore most dangerous. ANBU had no luck turning them up."

"If they have any brains they have left town already," said Lee as he sat down next to Gaara.

"I doubt they have any," replied Gaara. "These people are determined. These are fools seeking to die for what they see as a noble cause. If you kill one of us, our demon dies too." Gaara paused for a moment and looked over at Lee. "Did you want something?"

Lee nodded. "It is not easy for me to say. I am frightened of you."

"I get that reaction a lot," said Gaara with a frown.

"Last time we fought things ended very badly for me," said Lee. "I had not given it consideration when the exams started. But now this has been on my mind for hours. But for once, I decided not to talk to Gai Sensei about it. I always go to him with everything. I am closer to him than anyone. But this time I cannot. It is because of some advice he gave me after our fight, the wisdom of which I now question."

Gaara was intrigued. "What did he say?"

"After my injury I was faced with a terrible decision. I could retire as a shinobi or face surgery that carried with it a 50/50 chance of either success or death. I nearly went crazy trying to decide what to do and he advised me to get the operation."

"Do you regret it?" asked Gaara.

"It is not that I regret it," said Lee. "In fact, I actually think my reflexes improved slightly after the operation. It is just the idea that Gai Sensei and I gave ourselves that somehow my life would not be worth living if I were not a shinobi. I am sure you know about me. About how I faced rejection and failure due to my birth defect. My chakra network was not properly formed in the womb and thus I can only use taijutsu. This is not an uncommon thing and most people this happens to remain civilians. But all the other kids were becoming ninja. I abhorred the idea of being left out. So I became determined to become an exclusive taijutsu practitioner and to become such as expert at it, that someday I could become a Tokubetsu Jonin. I wanted to prove my worth and I dedicated my whole life and effort to it."

"Sounds noble," said Gaara. "I'm sorry you nearly lost your reason for living on my account."

"There, you have just said it," said Lee. "My reason for living? This cannot be my reason for living. I cannot define myself only as a shinobi. If I were to lose that, I realized I am still a magnificent person with no lack of myself to give the world. I am a person and a friend first and a shinobi second. That is what Gai Sensei should have realized but if he did, he did not say so in any obvious manner. I came here tonight to ask you not to go easy on me tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. And you should not feel bad about it. I will not."

Gaara looked up at the sky. "You have absolutely no idea how different my life would have turned out if I and the people around me had thought of me as a person and friend above all else instead of a weapon. Don't you go easy on me either, Rock Lee of the Leaf."

---

The next day came all too quickly. The crowds packed back into the stadium. Security was extra tight. The Waterfall team had still not been found. Each security team had a ninja hound. If they tried to sneak in by use of a transformation jutsu, they'd be caught. At the Leaf hospital, the television in almost every patient room was tuned to the fight. Choji's room was particularly crowded. Ino was there in a wheelchair along with Sakura, Choza, Inoichi, and Shikaku seated in various chairs.

Gai, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma all sat together in the first row of the main section. For once Kakashi had not been late. He knew the good seats would go fast. Even then, they would have had no chance had they not been with Gai. People were nice enough to make room for a man who was the sensei of competitors in both matches. Baki didn't take a seat. He asked to stand next to an ANBU posted towards the front of the crowd. The ANBU agreed. It put both of them in a good position to do something if there was any trouble from anyone during Gaara's match. That left Yura and Shigeru to sit with the oil investors and keep them entertained.

The crowd rose to its feet as Tsunade and the leaders of every other village in alliance with the Leaf were introduced and took up their positions in the VIP box. In the absence of a Kazekage, Ebizo represented the Hidden Sand among the leaders. In another VIP box, the kids who had already fought and lost were sat down (with the exception of Sakura who felt her place was with her team at the hospital). Finally Shikamaru and the Feudal Lord judges were introduced again.

"What a pain," thought Shikamaru to himself. "I'd much rather be with Choji and the others watching this on TV."

"And now ladies and gentlemen," called out the announcer, "Welcome back for the second and final day of competition. All four competitors have worked very hard to get here and now is their time to shine. So without further adieu, let us begin with our first Semifinal match of the day. We introduce to you Gaara of the Sand and Rock Lee of the Leaf."

It was over thunderous applause that the two entered the field. Lee hadn't even bothered putting his leg weights on. He had concealed a little bit of sake on him but Shikamaru had seen it earlier in the day and informed it that it would technically be in violation of the rules. He made him leave it in the locker room. Lee was very bitter. It hardly seemed fair to deprive a competitor of demonstrating to the judges what they were capable of just because booze was involved and he was a minor. He decided that he'd file an official petition for a change to the rules as soon as the competition was over.

The two met Shikamaru in the center.

"OK boys, nice to see your smiling faces this fine morning." Shikamaru spoke in jest. The two looked about as dead serious as any two people could have looked. "As always I expect you both to listen carefully for the sound of my voice for instructions. Well, this it. Good luck. FIGHT!"

Lee didn't give Gaara's gourd a chance to produce a single grain of sand before he made a move. He shot out his forearm at Gaara's face and while some of the sand was occupied blocking that, he quickly drove his left fist into Gaara's gut. Gaara's sand attempted to close around his wrist so he quickly yanked his hand back and attempted a flying kick but it was blocked.

Gaara immediately went on the counteroffensive. He began to use a strategy of using Sand Shuriken without any Shukaku transformation which normally accompanied the technique. He executed this in a wide spread with rapid fire due to Lee's speed. But he just couldn't hit him. Lee dodged between the blasts of sand and got in close enough to launch a kick. When the sand blocked it, he used the same strategy as before and immediately shot off the other leg in Gaara's direction. The force was great enough to strike Gaara with the defending mass of sand. The blow had been cushioned but not prevented.

"I would not advise relying on sand for all your defense," said Lee. "You have limbs, you should use them."

"They couldn't compete with yours," replied Gaara dryly. "With your style my sand will prove necessary for everything." With that he slapped the ground. The dirt below his feet gradually began changing to sand. "I wanted you to see a new trick I came up with that got its inspiration from fighting Naruto." Long streams of sand formed into solid masses and attached themselves to his gourd; nine in all. "Nine Tails of Sand Jutsu!"

Gaara slowly approached Lee and let the tails of sand do the work. They flung out attempting to strike him. Their sheer number helped compensate for Lee's speed. Lee once again tried to weave his way in between them to get closer to Gaara but every single move was met with one tail blocking him and several more trying to attack. Lee retreated to a safe distance. Truly this was a formidable technique.

"I too have been inspired by someone I have fought," announced Lee. "And now I will show you something I have been working on in secret these past few months."

Lee began to circulate as much chakra as he possibly could without opening a gate. He had his hands in the Uma sign but he seemed to be using them to focus since he obviously couldn't do anything involving hand signs. He was breathing hard. All of the sudden, to everyone's amazement, he reached inside his parka and whipped out a very long knife. Without a moment's hesitation he attacked with new and erratic movements that the tails could not keep up with. He wasn't drunk. What was this?

"Dance of the Camellia!"

It was Kimimaro's style of taijutsu. Lee managed to get right up close to Gaara and take a stab at him. He managed to penetrate the Sand Shield. The Sand Armor held up but to Gaara's horror, he felt blood trickling down his body. The cut had not inflicted serious damage but the blade had indeed cut him in the chest and lacerated the skin. When the tails attempted to move in, Lee cut through two of them and slashed Gaara's face. The armor did nothing that time.

Gaara understood all too well the dilemma he was facing. He could regenerate any tails that Lee could cut off but that took a few moments and time is something he would not be given to work with. Not only that but his normal defenses seemed insufficient. He had to stop the Camellia technique right away or Lee might actually harm him. The tails would have to go and he'd have to try something else. He began to launch Sand Shuriken again for no other reason than to force Lee back and put some distance between the two. He then clapped his hands.

"I, Saru, Ne, Uma, Saru, Uma, Hitsuji, Uma!"

Gaara clapped again and stuck the earth.

"Sand Tsunami!"

Lee tried to run at once. With his attention diverted, a hand made out of solid sand shot out of the ground and crushed his blade. He turned around to observe the massive tidal wave of sand coming at him. Jumping over it was out of the question. Running to the right was out. Running to the left just might get him out of the way in time to avoid it. Or better yet…

Gaara was astonished that Lee hadn't gotten out of the way yet. Another moment or two and it would be too late. Up in the stands, Gai grinned as he noticed what Lee was doing.

"Um, your prize pupil is about to get crushed, Gai," said Asuma. "Please tell me he has something up his sleeve."

"Indeed he does have something up his sleeve," replied Gai. "His arm. Which will be quite sufficient. Just watch."

Lee had his hands in the Mi symbol this time and was again building up massive chakra.

"Passive Fist!"

He ran up to the incoming wall of sand, stuck his hand out, and plowed right through it.

"I've never seen that one before," said Asuma.

"I have," replied Kakashi. He looked over at a grinning Gai. "Opposite tactic this year, eh?"

Gai nodded. "The Passive Fist style puts very little strain on the body. His chakra will place enormous amounts of pressure on anything he pushes on with his hand. Not as much movement is required either."

"Dodging would have been less risky and used no chakra," said Kakashi. "Gai, you didn't by any chance tell him to show off for the judges, did you?"

"Why shouldn't I? That is the general idea here, isn't it?"

"I tend to think they'd be more interested in seeing how he'd fare in actual combat than to see how many tricks he can pull off," replied Kakashi.

"No," said Gai. "It's not enough. Not with Lee. Not with someone no one takes seriously because he can only use taijutsu. No, that boy will have to do twice as much to earn half the recognition. No one said life was fair."

Lee charged at Gaara like a raging bull. Gaara tried to use the quicksand he'd created to swallow him up only to have Lee hit the ground with his palms. The Passive Fist created enough pressure not only to bring him back up to the surface but to condense the quicksand back into regular earth.

Gaara quickly used Desert Suspension. He wasn't sure if even his more advanced defensive mechanisms would work at this point. He floated up into the air far above Lee.

"Surprise!"

With his new jutsu activated, Lee managed to jump high enough to reach him. With a mighty kick, Gaara found himself launched off of the floating cloud of sand. Lee didn't waste one moment. He immediately opened a chakra gate and wrapped up Gaara in bandages. Gaara knew a Front Lotus was coming and that his chances of surviving such a technique were next to zero. Before Lee had a chance to really begin, Gaara repositioned the floating cloud of sand directly below them both. They landed with a thud. Gaara head butted Lee, sending him crashing to the ground below. Since Lee had a gate open, the injury was slightly more serious than it normally would have been.

"Ugh," moaned Lee as he picked himself up. "I wish I had actually worn my forehead protector on my forehead where it belongs. The sacrifices we make for fashion." He wiped blood away from his eyes and closed the gate. Gaara landed. "You are not perhaps using Shadow Clones, are you? I see three of you."

Gaara turned his gourd into sand, letting it spill onto the ground. This caused the bandages holding him to simply fall off. Lee rose to his feet again and shook his head. Again he circulated chakra and this time formed the Tori sign.

"More surprises?" asked Gaara.

Lee did not answer. He was starting to get tired. If something didn't work soon his only option would be to open as many gates as he could and take an enormous risk.

"Rooster Fist!"

"Rooster Fist?" asked Gaara in disbelief.

"Rooster Fist?" asked Kakashi. He couldn't believe it either. "Even I haven't heard of that one."

"Kakashi, my greatest rival, you have much to learn," said Gai. "How does a rooster defend itself?"

"It doesn't and it gets eaten," replied Kurenai.

"Be serious," said Gai.

"It pecks," said Asuma.

"Correct. And as you will see, the fist can peck as well. And now Kakashi, you can say you've learned something today."

"Huh? I'm sorry, were you talking Gai? I was watching the fight and didn't hear you."

Gai clenched his fist in anger. He looked like he was going to have a stroke.

Down on the field, Lee bunched all his fingers up together. His hand did indeed look a little like a bird of some sort with a beak. Without warning he flew straight at Gaara so fast that even Kakashi's Sharingan was unable to follow. He stopped right behind him and hit him in the back of his body in several places with his fingers in a manner that did indeed resemble pecking. Gaara fell on his face. To his utter astonishment he couldn't move.

"The Rooster Fist attacks several vulnerable spots on the body that have high nerve concentrations," said Lee. "Rather than a strong blunt force from a single punch, it utilizes a smaller, sharper force in several areas."

The Sphere of Sand began to form around Gaara. He still could not rise. Sensation was very slowly returning to the nerves that had been affected by Lee's attack. Lee wiped some more blood from his eyes and then turned his attention to the sphere. With a loud cry he lashed out at the sand with rapid blows of the Rooster Fist. He stood back and sure enough the area he struck shattered. Gaara slowly rose to his feet.

"So, it's not just an attack that works against the body is it Lee?"

"No," replied Lee. "Several hundred milder hits are sometimes more effective than one enormous one."

Gaara frowned. "About now I wish I had the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand. Sphere of Sand!'

The orb of condensed sand appeared around Gaara once again.

"This again?" said Lee. "Perhaps you did not learn from the last demonstration. Rooster Fist!"

But this time, to Lee's surprise, it didn't work. Gaara had not packed the sand with the same level of density. The Third Eye appeared and spikes began to grow out of the sphere. And now the sphere was taking on a completely spherical shape.

"Spiked Human Hamster Ball!"

If Lee hadn't been so intrigued he might have laughed at the name Gaara had given the attack. The ball began to roll towards Lee; slowly at first but it began to build up more and more speed with every passing moment. Lee realized that Gaara was either floating on a cloud of sand inside the ball or had escaped and was underground. He couldn't possibly be moving that quickly himself.

"Way to rip off Choji," muttered Lee to himself. "But Gaara can move this thing way faster so this is way more effective than Bullet Tank."

Rooster Fist would have to be abandoned. Trying to strike this thing with that particular attack would have only resulted in the loss of Lee's arm. For a few moments he was helpless to do anything except flee. He realized he was down to his last option. The one thing that was most effective, most risky, and had nearly ended his career. The thing he'd spent the entire fight trying to avoid. He'd have to use the Reverse Lotus. And this time Gaara would have to be knocked out completely because Lee would be totally vulnerable when the attack was over. But first he'd have to deal Gaara's attack. Either way, he needed to open as many gates as he could.

"First Gate: Gate of Opening, open! Second Gate: Gate of Healing, open!" Lee began to glow with chakra. "Third Gate: Gate of Life, open!" Lee's skin turned red. "Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain, open!" Lee's muscles increased slightly in size. His head wound began to bleed more. He raced up and hit the Hamster Ball with everything he had. He could feel a muscle in his back tear. Gaara crashed right through the ball's side and went flying. Lee raced over to where he was about to land.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Lee's kick sent Gaara flying upward.

"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, open!" Lee crouched down and prepared to leap up and hit Gaara with everything he had.

"Stop the match!" hollered Shikamaru. Lee halted and Gaara hit the ground with a thud and did not rise right away.

For a moment, Lee was confused as to why Shikamaru had stopped him. But then to his shock, he realized his head was now bleeding profusely due to the strain he'd put on himself.

"MEDIC!" screamed Shikamaru. Lee was losing blood fast. Shizune and her entourage sprinted out to his location.

Gaara struggled to his feet. He was genuinely concerned for Lee.

"Don't get up!" hollered a medic. He was right. Gaara was in bad shape himself. He sat back down.

Shikamaru watched for a moment as medical teams tended to both participants. Finally when it was clear to him that both of them were stabilized he made his official announcement.

"Winner: Gaara!"

Both fighters received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd. Perhaps none clapped so loud as the oil investors. Gai was in tears.

"I'm so proud of that boy. So… very proud…"

"You should be, Gai," said Kakashi.

From up in the box, Temari and Kankuro were all grins.

"Wish I could clap," said Kankuro. His arm was still in a cast. The fracture had been a serious one and Mystical Palm wasn't enough to heal it. "Those two have both come so far in such a short amount of time."

"I wish Dad were alive to see this and choke on it," said Temari. "Whatever purpose they had in mind for him… well he's evolved so far from it that it would take the light of that purpose a million years to reach him. He's out of our league for sure. And not just as a fighter either."

Down on the field, Lee grinned. "I guess you did kind of take it easy on me."

"What do you mean?" asked Gaara. "If your body hadn't given out, I would have been toast."

"You did not transform," replied Lee with smirk.

"True, but first of all I can't control that thing very well and second of all, it wouldn't be my best, it would be his."

"I know," said Lee. "I am only teasing. You are the best."

The two were lifted up on stretchers and carried off the field. The medics would have to work fast. After the next match, Gaara would have only three hours to be ready to fight again.

End Chapter 15

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The crowd was about to see something that had never been done even once in the history of the Chunin Exams. Neji and Hinata were actually holding hands as they entered the field. No two competitors had ever done that before.

"Oh damn, that looks bad," muttered Hiashi.

"I like it," said Hanabi. "I think it makes a statement about our family."

"Yeah, and that statement is, 'We Hyugas are a bunch of pansies.' I never thought Neji would do something embarrassing like that."

Neji and Hinata met Shikamaru in the center.

"Alright," said Shikamaru. "Neji I hate to bring this up but…"

"It won't happen again," interrupted Neji. "I was totally out of line with what I did the last time we fought. If you say stop, I'll stop."

"Good," replied Shikamaru. "Because you two have the capability of seriously hurting each other. Are you both ready? FIGHT!"

Both of them activated their Byakugan.

"Gentle Fist!"

"Gentle Fist!"

And with that the two of them were at it hammer and tongs. If Hinata was having any trouble whatsoever keeping up with Neji she certainly wasn't showing it.

"She's gotten faster," thought Neji. "And this time she's not recklessly attacking. I can't get a single opening."

The absence of Naruto was actually making it easier for Hinata. While she did want to impress her father who was watching, the pressure was not as severe. She was more patient, more relaxed, and more focused than their last meeting. And this time she knew she had less to be afraid of now that Neji had mellowed in his attitudes. This was starting to result in a clear-cut stalemate. They'd been fighting for over two minutes now and no one hand landed a hit yet.

Neji leaped back a few feet.

"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"

No good, she easily blocked him.

Hinata held up two fingers and focused her chakra. Neji wondered what she was up to. He didn't have to wait very long to find out. Hiashi had done his geological research as promised and indeed there were veins of groundwater running close to the surface of the field. The rise in temperate had made them thaw.

"Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Water Javelin!"

Several long thin shots of water sprang out of the ground straight at Neji. He blocked the first barrage but found it to be painful to do so. Water style jutsu have a number of ways to hurt an opponent. They can crush through huge mass, they can drown, or in a thin stream they can cut like a knife. This was what Hinata was trying to do. And she didn't even need any complicated hand signs. This particular technique was one she'd used to kill bugs but she'd never tried it on a human opponent.

Having seen the bad effects of blocking, Neji tried dodging. This was what Hinata had been hoping for. She'd intentionally held back somewhat knowing full well he could block any number of attacks. Once he started dodging she sent three times the number of Water Javelins flying at him at a much faster rate of speed. Try as he might he couldn't evade them all. One hit him in the leg and blood flew out.

"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"

Even with a slight injury, Neji was a pro who could shrug off pain and never lose his head for a moment. His rotation sent the water flying back at Hinata.

"Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixy-Four Palms!"

Hinata had a slight advantage over Neji. This technique blocked with blades of chakra rather than a hand charged with chakra. She easily blocked the water without any risk of injury to herself. And while doing this, she was more mobile than Neji was when he was using a rotation technique. While still using the technique, she advanced on Neji.

"Heavenly Spin!"

The two attacks collided. Sparks shot out. Both tried to push the other back with all their might but to no avail. It was another stalemate. Both of them stopped around the same time. All of the sudden Neji saw an opening. He struck Hinata in the midsection with Gentle Fist.

Hiashi had been observing carefully from his seat.

"Hanabi, did you see that?"

"See what? Hinata getting hit?"

"Silly girl, pay attention! Hinata sure did." Hanabi looked confused. Hiashi sighed. "You have much to learn. Hinata saw it coming and knew she couldn't avoid it but managed to move just enough so that he missed his intended target. She positioned herself in a way so that he'd hit an area where little if any internal damage would be caused. Not only that, she got him to hit the wrong chakra point. He nailed one that will actually accelerate her chakra. She and I spent hours going over that."

Indeed, Neji had failed. Not only that but Hinata managed to punch him in the face, sending him flying backwards. He certainly hadn't expected a fellow Hyuga to attack in such a manner unless their chakra points were blocked. Thus he never saw it coming. The punch had spun him around 180 degrees as he fell. He had a mild concussion and momentarily, his Byakugan deactivated. And something else…

Kakashi looked over at Kurenai.

"Did she just do what I think she did?"

Kurenai nodded.

Neji picked himself up, dusted himself off and resumed his stance. But to his utter horror he could not seem to reactivate his Byakugan.

"What's going on?" he thought to himself. "That's never happened before. Did she hit me harder than I thought?"

Hinata gave him no time to contemplate this. She raced at him immediately with Gentle Fist. If she had a Byakugan activated and he didn't, it would give her the advantage and he knew it. This was bad. He could still activate his own Gentle Fist and use it to defend himself as best he could. He might not be able to see much but he could still see Hinata's hands coming at him. Or so he thought.

"AH!"

Neji had been struck in the side. Now all of the sudden the pain brought him back to reality and he realized exactly what was happening. His Byakugan had indeed been activated the whole time but he had been fooled into thinking otherwise. In the one moment when he had fallen, his back had been turned to her and his Byakugan temporarily shut off because of the impact. In that moment, Hinata had put him under a genjutsu. He had been fighting a mere figment of his imagination while the real Hinata had snuck up and waited for just the right moment. Her Byakugan was way better than his. She knew she'd only get one chance so she found a prime target to hit. It was a spot between two ribs on his right side. The internal damage she'd done was bad but even worse was that she'd nailed a vital chakra point. Neji was coughing up blood and he could feel the intensity of the chakra in his right arm dragging down. Her attack had diminished the power of his Gentle Fist in his right hand.

"I should have seen that coming," he said. "A student of the best genjutsu user we've produced in the last thirty years other than Itachi Uchiha fights me and it doesn't occur to me she'll use it just because she hasn't before. I should have my head examined."

"Or your lungs," warned Shikamaru. "That looks kind of bad. You might want to consider stopping now."

"I'm still good. When I am not still good you will be the first person I inform but right now I'm still good."

"Suit yourself," said Shikamaru. "But if things get bad I'll end this."

At Choji's hospital room, everyone watching was amazed.

"No wonder I lost to her," said Ino.

"Maybe it's a good thing I got disqualified," said Choji. "I think she'd have beaten me."

"Don't sell yourself short, kid," said Inoichi. "You've got plenty of skill yourself."

"You know," said Sakura, "I think I know what she's trying to do. She's trying to prove to the judges that she's a good strategist. Last year that was the factor that earned Shikamaru the only promotion."

"More like trying to prove to her father that he shouldn't regret not letting that Cloud ninja take her," grumbled Shikaku. "I hate that guy."

At that moment, Hiashi sneezed rather loudly.

"That's odd. Pollen count should be about zero this time of year."

On the field, Neji was rubbing his side vigorously.

"You've gotten much better, Hinata," he said. "Glad I didn't go easy on you."

"Coming from you, that means the world," she said. "More than it would mean coming from Father himself."

"Let's show him he was right to give us both a chance," said Neji.

Hinata nodded. She lunged forward and the two of them slugged it out with Gentle Fist yet again. While Neji might not have been able to attack with much power using his right hand, it didn't inhibit his defense. The two of them were starting to look as though they'd reached another stalemate.

Just then, some sweat got into Hinata's eyes. Since she wore her headband around her neck she was more vulnerable to this.

"No!" hollered Hiashi. "Don't close your…"

Too late. With her eyes closed just one moment longer than usual during a normal blink, it was all Neji needed.

"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Six…"

But that was as far as he got before Hinata blocked him. With his right hand impaired, he had to perform each strike with only his left hand which took too long. He had only managed to hit fourteen chakra points. Hinata was breathing heavy. She now had quite a few internal injuries of her own and her chakra wasn't flowing as well.

"Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Neji had no intention of letting her get close enough to hit him with that even if its intensity had indeed died down.

"Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!"

The blast completely negated Hinata's weakened technique. She was sent flying and rolled several times as she hit the ground. As she struggled to get up, Neji appeared standing over her.

"Gentle Fist!"

This time he'd really done it. He hit her in the back. Her spinal cord swelled. She lost all sensation in the lower portion of her body. She was temporarily paralyzed and could not get to her feet.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"For what?" asked Neji. "You fought well."

"No," said Hinata. "Sorry for what I'm about to do."

"What do you… AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Neji screamed out in pain loud enough to wake the dead. For a moment he couldn't understand why he felt such an agonizing pain in his head. Then all of the sudden it occurred to him just what Hinata had done.

"My… curse seal!"

"Please just surrender!" begged Hinata. "I don't want to hurt you."

Neji fell to his knees.

"HINATA! STOP!" screamed Hiashi from up in the stands.

"I'm sorry too, for what… *I'M* about to do!" said Neji weakly.

With that he punched Hinata in the back of the head with all his might, knocking her out cold. He collapsed, struggling to breathe. The pain had subsided.

Suddenly Hiashi appeared in a puff of smoke standing over him. An instant later, four Anbu appeared around him with drawn katanas.

"The proctor has not yet ended the match!" one said angrily.

"I know," said Hiashi quietly.

"We have to eject you," said another. "You will not be allowed back in for the remainder of the tournament. And there will be a stiff fine."

"You will allow me to say one thing to my nephew first," said Hiashi.

"Make it damn quick."

"Neji I swear on my very life that I did not teach her that. I don't know how on earth she learned to do that."

"I don't know WHY on earth she learned to do that," replied Neji.

Hiashi closed his eyes. He looked troubled. "Please, I beg of you not to hold this against her. She was only trying to demonstrate that she could use all available means at her disposal to defeat an actual enemy in the most desperate of situations rather than lay down and die. And she wanted to show she could exploit an opponent's weakness. This was no reflection of you being branch on her part. She's not like that. I know her too well."

"I know," said Neji quietly. His feelings were still hurt.

Hinata started to come to.

"You shouldn't have done that!" said Hiashi angrily. "Where did you even learn how?"

"I heard you and Grandfather talking once about where the scroll was hidden," she said weakly.

"I ought to burn that damn thing," he said.

"Alright, enough talk, let's go," said the ANBU. They marched him right out of the stadium.

"Just a moment," he said as he neared the gate. He looked back over his shoulder. "You two are both amazing. Thank you for bringing me such pride and joy." He walked the rest of the way of the field.

"Winner: Neji Hyuga!" announced Shikamaru.

Hinata started to cry. "Neji, I'm so sorry. I'll just die if you don't forgive me. I love you so much and I only wanted…"

Neji pulled her into a sitting position and hugged her tightly. "I know. I do forgive you and I do understand." The crowd broke into applause over this gesture of family affection.

"I feel so bad," said Hinata between sobs.

"Weren't you the one who said you needed to stop feeling guilty over stuff like this?" teased Neji. "You're like a sister to me and blood runs thicker than water."

"If they don't stop all this hugging and crying, I'm going to barf," moaned Kakashi. "Is this a martial arts tournament or a daytime talk show?"

"You don't get it, do you, you big jackass," said Kurenai angrily. "In a few months they went from a situation so bad that we literally had jump on him to stop him from murdering her to what you see now. Don't piss on a miracle."

Back at the hospital, the group gathered there watched the medical team attend to Hinata and Neji and the crowd filing out for the intermission.

"So, looks like old Hiashi has a soul after all," said Choza.

Shikaku did not answer.

"Come on, you have to admit what he did there was noble," said Sakura.

Shikaku nodded. "Um, I'll be right back. I have to go do something."

Quickly he ran out of the hospital and onto the streets. He had to act fast if he was going to find what he was looking for. In a few minutes, they'd be crowded with spectators. He jumped up to the rooftops and had a look around. His eyes saw something familiar. He jumped down back to the street.

"Hey there," he called out.

Hiashi Hyuga turned around to see who was talking.

"Oh. Hello, Mr. Nara."

"Sorry you can't be there to see the rest of this thing but if you're so inclined, my friends and I were going to sit down and see the final together on TV. You're welcome to join us."

TO BE CONCLUDED…

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"I'm starting to see a little bit of me in so many people," said Gaara. "In his case, he feels guilty for once turning his back on his own family over past grievances. I've been there. It will be hard for me to fight him, now that I realize this."

"Don't over-think this," said Kankuro. "We humans are social creatures because we see a little of ourselves in almost everyone. We have something in common so we tend to stick together. Don't let that stop you."

The two were sitting together in the empty stands while all around them the cleaners swept up debris from the aisles. It had taken thirty minutes to heal Gaara and seventy to heal Neji. They had their eyes trained on Neji who was standing in the middle of the field and hadn't moved an inch in over an hour.

"He'd make a good statue," said Kankuro. "Although I pity the first pigeon that messes with him."

"He's deep in thought," said Gaara.

---

Hiashi came back into the hospital room.

"Alright, I have the snacks. You know, usually when you invite someone, you don't make them go out and buy the food."

"Last one to arrive buys," said Inoichi. "That's the rule."

"They went easy on you," said Ino. "I remember the last time I arrived last. It was an actual meal instead of snacks. Ever tried to feed a couple of hungry Akimichis? That was a week's Genin salary down the drain."

"You've got the sound off on the TV," said Hiashi.

'Yeah, well these commentators get on my nerves," said Choji. "These guys have to talk throughout the three hour intermission. There's only so much interesting stuff to say about the final; certainly not enough to fill up three hours. So they get boring after awhile."

---

Hanabi was waiting outside the medical room for Hinata. After what seemed like an eternity she was finally released.

"Should we go find Father?" asked Hanabi.

"No, we'll stay here and cheer on Neji."

"Hinata?"

"Yes?"

"Will I ever get one of those curse seals?"

Hinata stopped dead in her tracks. "Not on your life. First of all you're female. Second of all, once Naruto becomes Hokage there won't be any more Main and Branch."

"You sure have a lot of faith in that kid." All of the sudden, Hanabi had a mischievous idea. "Hey Hinata!" When Hinata turned around, Hanabi transformed herself into a shirtless Naruto. Hinata took one look and passed out. "Like shooting fish in a barrel."

---

Gaara walked up to Neji.

"Mind if I stare out into space with you?" he asked.

"Go right ahead," said Neji.

"Lee came to me last night," said Gaara. "Told me exactly what was on his mind and asked me not to go easy on him and I told him to do the same. Well that took guts on his part to tell me he was nervous. And right now I'm nervous myself."

"Me too," admitted Neji.

"But in a way, this one doesn't matter as much, does it? I mean we already had our big re-matches, fought the past, and here we are."

Neji thought for a moment. "It doesn't matter but… it does."

"Oh, no doubt."

The two stood there and waited in silence for the crowds to return.

---

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the main event. We've waited months for this moment. Two young warriors have risen up among the Genin of their respective villages and meet head on in a clash of the titans. Without any further interruption, we present to you the Final: Gaara of the Sand vs. Neji Hyuga of the Leaf!"

Shikamaru was all grins. "Well, I'm almost done with this enormous pain. And I'm sure you guys are fed up with the whole thing by now as well. So let's get this over with. On my mark… Ready? FIGHT!"

Immediately Gaara conjured up a group of Sand Clones and sent them after Neji. With his Byakugan, Neji could see that yet again each one had an exploding tag concealed inside. Gaara had probably wanted him to strike them with one of his taijutsu techniques. Nothing doing. He whipped out some exploding kunai of his own and blew them up before they ever reached him.

Just then, one more clone came up out of the ground and hit Neji in the gut. His Byakugan had not spotted it since it had not taken form until the last second. But since Naruto's sneak attack last year, Neji had been slightly more aware of ground attacks. He saw it just in time to flex his abs. With the millions of sit-ups Gai had made him do over the years, he barely felt a thing and easily dispatched the clone with Gentle Fist.

Neji raced up to Gaara head-on. He saw Gaara about to dispatch some sand and at the last second, side-stepped. In a blur of speed he appeared beside Gaara and punched him in the face. He'd gotten the idea from what Hinata had done. It appeared the Sand Armor had done nothing. Blood came out of Gaara's mouth. Just then a massive blast of sand hit Neji in the chest and sent him flying backwards about twenty feet.

"Sand Shuriken!"

"Heavenly Spin!"

Neji easily blocked Gaara's attack but the second he stopped spinning, the real surprise came. A hand made of sand popped out of the ground and grabbed Neji by the ankle. This time he hadn't been expecting it. It slammed him violently to the ground several times before he finally broke free.

"Prison Sand Burial!"

This was bad. Gaara hadn't given Neji even an instant to recover. The ground beneath him began to turn to quicksand and swallow him up. Neji tried to use Heavenly Spin to free himself but it was too late. Within seconds he found himself completely submerged and sinking deeper every moment. He could feel the sand getting tight around him and correctly guessed Gaara was trying to crush him. It would have worked too on another opponent. But since Neji had tried to activate Heavenly Spin, even though he couldn't rotate, he still had chakra pouring out of every chakra point on his body protecting him. That however did not change the fact that he was sinking, that he couldn't free himself, and that he was running out of air.

"I'm not going to die like this," he thought. "No chance. Not after coming so far. I won't be the only one on my team who can't open a Chakra Gate." He thought back to his training days. About how Gai tried to show them all how it was done but that only Lee seemed able to do it. Neji recalled that it was the first time Lee had beaten him at anything. "OK… think hard… use the spurt of adrenaline you have now and send it to your head… I feel it… FIRST GATE OPEN!" Neji shot out of the earth like a rocket.

"Yay Neji!" screamed Lee. "Stronger than you were yesterday for sure!"

"Atta boy!" hollered Ten Ten. "Show him what Team Gai is made of!"

"Did I just see what I think I saw?" said Kankuro. "No way! The human body can't possibly survive that technique.

Temari was speechless. She knew Kimimaro had survived but that he'd had a modified body.

Gaara was just as shocked but didn't have time to dwell on it. Neji was coming at him at top speed and his hands were glowing with more intensity than ever. With a gate open, his Gentle Fist would have been three times deadlier. Gaara decided it wise to take to the air again on a cloud of sand. As soon as he'd reached a decent altitude, one high enough where the world's best jumper (not even Lee) could reach him, he turned towards the situation on the ground. He reached out in the direction of the ground and closed his fist, drawing it back towards him. A huge spike of condensed sand emerged which Neji barely dodged. Gaara tried it again. This time Neji cut right through it with Gentle Fist.

Not content with two attempts, Gaara rapidly began pulling more and more spikes out of the ground. Neji's speed and power were phenomenal. Within seconds a whole forest of spikes had emerged. Shikamaru had to run up one of the arena walls to get out of the way. Neji didn't bother. He leaped from the sides of one spike after another. Finally he noticed some carelessness on Gaara's part. Gaara had let a particularly tall spike grow close to where he was floating. Neji climbed the spike and leaped up towards Gaara. Gaara in turn floated away thinking he wasn't in range to be hit by Neji.

To everyone's shock, Neji unraveled the wrapping on his right arm and flung out the end, catching Gaara. He wrapped him up, reeled him in, grabbed him and plummeted downwards. Neji wasn't capable of using a true Lotus because the rotation of the technique was too much for him. But with a Gate open, he could execute a sort of partial Lotus that would slam Gaara into a spike.

BAM!

For a moment, no one could breathe. Kankuro and Temari were in utter shock. Neji had slammed Gaara headfirst into a spike, impaling him. He left him up there with the soles of his feet pointing straight up. The other spikes dissipated.

Shikamaru walked up to inspect what had happened. He could scarcely believe it either.

Neji grinned and closed the Gate. "Well, that was fun. Now come on out, faker!"

The impaled figure of Gaara turned to sand and crumbled. The real Gaara emerged from inside the spike.

"How did you know?" he asked. "Your eyes were closed when I did it."

"My Byakugan could see into the spike, replied Neji. "So as soon as I re-opened my eyes, I could see you."

Up in the stands, Hanabi looked over at her sister who had her own Byakugan activated.

"Did you see how he did it?"

Hinata nodded. "He can actually dematerialize into sand and reappear wherever he wants, including a mass of solid sand."

"You impress me Neji Hyuga," said Gaara. "Using the techniques of your teammate like that is brilliant. The fact that you lack eyes that can copy techniques like Sasuke Uchiha makes it even more impressive."

"When I was younger, I was too foolish to give Lee the credit he deserves," said Neji. "But I realize that he deserves to make Chunin more than any of us."

"I see that another person besides Lee has opened your eyes as well. You know who I'm talking about. Naruto Uzumaki. The fool who has the wisdom of a sage."

Neji grinned. "Come to think of it, that's one thing you and I have in common. We both earned a beating and a vital lesson from that kid last time."

"I wish he were here to see this. Shall we finish this with power worthy of his praise?"

"Oh by all means. I hate long, drawn out battles."

Gaara clapped. "I! Saru! Ne! Uma! Saru! Uma! Hitsuji! Uma!" He clapped a final time. "Sand Tsunami!"

This time the massive wave of sand had spikes growing out of it. Neji knew there was no avoiding it. He focused as much chakra as he possibly could.

"Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!"

He blasted a hole in the attack wide enough to slip through. He raced at Gaara one more time. His intent was to hit him with Mountain Crusher and while Gaara was reeling back, he'd use Sixty-Four Palms. But it was not to be. Gaara had been expecting him to make such a move. The moment he came through the hole, a massive arm of sand emerged from Gaara's own arm and grabbed Neji by the throat and lifted him in the air.

"Surrender!" warned Gaara. "Your chakra will not break this. I have too much of my own chakra running through it."

Neji could see with his Byakugan that he wasn't bluffing. A massive load of chakra flowed from Gaara's body into the sand that was choking him. He couldn't breathe at all and it took all the strength in his neck muscles to avoid getting his neck broken.

"Tap your thigh three times to indicate surrender and I will stop," said Gaara.

"Stronger than I was yesterday," thought Neji to himself. "That's damn right. And more experienced too. Even the strongest opponent can be beaten by a trick he's never seen before."

Neji grabbed the arm. Just like with Kidomaru, he sent damaging chakra of his own through the sand and into Gaara's body. With a loud scream of pain, Gaara let go of him and his Sand Armor crumbled and fell off. Neji took advantage immediately.

"Eight Trigrams Two Palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms! One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"

Gaara collapsed to his hands and knees. He could not rise or even move. He couldn't feel any chakra anywhere in his entire body except in his head. Try as he might, he couldn't move a muscle in his limbs or torso. He sadly hung his head.

Shikamaru walked up. "Guys, that was incredible." He cleared his throat. "Winner and champion of the Winter Tournament: Neji Hyuga!"

At the hospital, Hiashi had tried to keep his composure and maintain dignity but when Neji won, he couldn't stop himself from jumping up and down and yelling excitedly.

CLICK!

He looked over to see the source of that noise. It was Choza with a camera.

"Oh you are going to pay through the nose to keep that picture from going public, Hiashi."

The roar of the crowd was louder than ever. But a moment later something even louder would change the mood entirely.

BANG!

A hole blew through the wall of the arena. Quick as a wink, the three fugitive Waterfall shinobi charged through, straight at the helpless Gaara. They split up and came at him from three different directions.

"Oh no you don't!" hollered Neji. He raced up to Nobuo. Before he had a chance to even react, Neji easily killed him with Gentle Fist.

Michiko came at him from another side. Shikamaru got in her way and impaled her through the heart with his newly-acquired Shadow Sewing.

Shikamaru and Neji turned and saw to their dismay that they couldn't reach Hashirama in time.

"Die monster!" he screamed as he raced towards Gaara with a drawn kunai.

---

"Where am I? What is this place?"

Gaara found himself in a dark, rocky place he'd never seen before. He got up and looked around. He could hear the sound of water dripping. It looked as though he was in an intersection of several long tunnels hewn through rock. Each cave lead off in a different direction.

"It's so cold in here."

Just then, he swore he could hear a low rumble, sounding almost like a laugh coming from one of the tunnels.

"Hello?"

He followed the tunnel from where he had heard the laughter. Suddenly he could go no further. A series of wires with sealing tags blocked his path. At first he thought he was alone and that there was nothing on the other side of the wires. This is why he was so horribly startled to see glowing eyes out of the abyss.

"Hello again my boy. Good to see you. Been a while."

"This must be a bad dream," muttered Gaara.

"No," replied the Shukaku. "This is your last and only chance to live. As we speak, an opponent is racing straight towards you and you are helpless to stop him. No one is close enough to help you. Except me. Use me and I will open your chakra points and supply you with my power. Together we will crush this foe."

"No," replied Gaara.

"I see. You prefer death? Or are you just too damn proud to accept help?"

"I don't know much about the Nine-Tails," said Gaara, "But I know I don't have the level of control over you that Naruto has over that thing. I tend to think you are a more psychotic creature than the Fox."

"Irrelevant," replied Shukaku. "You have no choice."

"If I use you I could end up hurting the spectators. If that…

"THE SPECTATORS?!" interrupted Shukaku. "When the hell did you start caring about them? These are the same people who rejected you, who wanted you dead just like the man who is about to strike you down. Defend yourself, fool!"

"I am. From you."

Gaara turned his back on the Shukaku and walked away.

"NO!" screamed the monster. It flung itself against the wires but to no avail. "Your pride just killed us both!"

Gaara touched the mark on his forehead that he'd made so many years ago. "No. Not my pride. My love. I don't want to die… but…"

---

Gaara was flashed back to reality. Hashirama was closing in. Shikamaru's shadow would never reach him in time. Gaara still couldn't move or use chakra.

Suddenly there was a small, subtle flash of white that traveled from Gaara to Hashirama. No one in the stands even saw what happened, but the next thing anyone knew, Hashirama was clutching his chest and falling to the ground. Even in the most hopeless of moments, Gaara had managed to keep his head. The punch to the mouth he'd received from Neji had severely loosened one of his wisdom teeth. He still had chakra use in his head. He sucked out the tooth and spit it at Hahirama with all his might. The tooth hit him in the chest like he'd been shot by a rifle. He fell on his face directly in front of Gaara.

"You should have let me kill you," said Hashirama. "You'll die soon anyway but this death would cause less harm."

Gaara had no time to contemplate what Hashirama was babbling about. A moment later, Tsunade appeared with Raido, Shizune, and Kakashi behind her.

"Neji, is he booby trapped?" asked Tsunade.

"Your grandfather… was the greatest," said Hashirama to Tsunade. He seemed to be having trouble speaking.

"Not that I can see," replied Neji.

"He earned so much respect in our village."

Tsunade carefully rolled him onto his back and looked at his chest.

"Your wound is mortal," she announced. "Nothing can be done."

"We sent the greatest fighter we ever produced after him."

"Did you hear what I just said?" asked Tsunade.

"But he failed. And thus, the First Hokage earned so much respect among us for his strength. That's why my father named me after him. But him… who failed…"

"Don't try to talk," said Tsunade. "It will only make it more painful."

"Him that… failed… lives…" Hashirama struggled to breathe. "He's with… THEM… now… and… they want… I had to stop… I…" But he couldn't continue. He took one last breath and died.

Tsunade closed Hashirama's eyes and looked up at Gaara. "You got his aortic arch."

Kankuro, Temari, and all three Sand Jonin appeared on the field.

"My gosh, is he all right?" asked Baki.

"He's fine," said Neji. He looked over at Gaara. "Looks like we both defeated someone better than ourselves today. I know for a fact that you're a better shinobi than me. And that this guy was better than both of us. I guess we learned a lot about ourselves and what we can do when we went after Sasuke, huh?"

"You said it," replied Gaara.

Temari and Kankuro helped him to his feet. Just then, every single spectator from the Hidden Sand Village broke into thunderous applause. Kankuro couldn't help but notice that the younger ones were the loudest and of the younger ones, the females seemed particularly enthusiastic.

"You seem to have groupies here," he said with a grin.

"Shows you what you know, Shukaku," thought Gaara to himself. "Once rejected but not always. Not when you have love within."

---

Kiba could hear Shino angrily grumbling to himself.

"OK, what's the problem?"

"Hmph! I do everything I can against Michiko and lose and then Shikamaru easily kills her with one hit."

Everyone who had participated was gathered in the center of the arena for the closing ceremonies of the tournament. Ino and Choji had to sit in wheelchairs but they were also present. They were enduring about the longest, most pointless, and most boring speech any of them had ever heard from Koharu about the ninja of tomorrow. Tsunade looked like she was about to deck the old lady if she didn't shut up soon.

Finally Koharu's speech ended. The applause was less than enthusiastic and more polite than anything. Ebizo had actually fallen asleep in his seat. The applause woke him up.

Tsunade took the microphone. "Yes, yes, that was… uh… certainly inspirational. Now the moment we've all been waiting for." Anko and Baki each appeared in a puff of smoke carrying large boxes. "These contain vests worn by ninja of Chunin level or higher; green for Leaf, tan for Sand. Let's find out who will be getting one. We have the results from the judges."

She handed the microphone over to Baki.

"Promotions to Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Sand this year go to… all three participants. Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara."

Kankuro and Temari were stunned. They'd both lost in the first round and didn't expect to make it. Baki handed out vests to all three of them and then handed the microphone over to Anko.

"Promotions to Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Leaf this year go to… five participants. Hinata Hyuga, Choji Akimichi, Sakura Haruno, Neji Hyuga, and Rock Lee."

"Told you I'd make it, little buddy," whispered Choji.

Anko handed vests out to all five of them.

Tsunade took the microphone back. "Well, this leaves only one matter of business left. The next Exams will be held in the Hidden Sand starting July 1st. I can assure you the temperature should be a great deal warmer by then."

---

All the newly promoted Chunin and their families had a celebratory dinner that night at a restaurant near the stadium. Sakura glanced over to the table where Sand Siblings and Baki were seated. She leaned over to Ino.

"Doesn't that sensei of theirs kind of give you the creeps a little?" she whispered.

"Oh he's OK," said Ino. "Came into our family's shop a couple times to buy white roses for a friend that died. Seemed pleasant enough. You actually going to wear that thing?"

Sakura looked down at the vest. "Naw. Not very fashionable, is it?"

"I will wear it!" said Lee proudly. "Now I can finally look just like Gai Sensei.

Gai grinned. "Thank you Lee. I'm flattered. But you must be your own ninja. You must always remember… NO LEE, THAT'S NOT WATER!"

Too late.

THE END

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto

Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate it.


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